Pink Colored Roses
by EstheimResidence
Summary: Hope and Noel get a new roommate in college, Lightning, but will her presence be good or bad for all those involved? M for sexual content, violence, death, and language. HopexLightning,implied SnowxSerah, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yay~ First story. I'm going to go ahead and get all the warnings and things done in this chapter. **

**WARNINGS: This story contains sexual content, language, violence, and alcohol and drug use. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own FFXIII-2 or any of their characters. :(**

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"Hope!...Hope!"

The boy gasped at his name being yelled and opened his eyes. "What?" He eyed the brown haired boy that was hovering over him.

"Get up lazy. It's almost time for class." The brunette laughed and threw a pillow at the other boys face.

Hope yawned and pushed the pillow off him. "Damn it." He pushed his blankets off him and got out of bed. "I never sleep this late.." he mumbled as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Yeah I know. Normally its you yelling at me to get my ass up."

"Mm." The silver haired boy turned on the sink and began brushing his teeth. He then washed his face, peed, and brushed his hair. After feeling satisfied with his look, he walked back out to join his friend.

"Did you do the homework?" Hope asked as he was getting his clothes out of the dresser.

"Of course. You think I could get by without doing it? No way, not with you as my roommate."

The boy snickered and leaned against the wall. His tight blue shirt outlined every muscle. The tan pants fit his lower body perfectly. And his brown hair looked as soft cotton. He was practically perfect. This unflawed boy was Hope's roommate; Noel. He was not only his roommate, but his best friend. They got paired together their freshmen year and have been inseparable ever since. It was somewhat odd, considering the two were almost complete opposites.

Hope Estheim, was the star of his class. He had perfect grades and always did everything he could to do better in terms of academics. He volunteered at multiple places, was in various clubs and was fairly well off in finances.

Noel Kreiss, however, was very different. He was a classic jock. Playing on multiple sports teams, including, soccer, lacrosse, and swimming. He was always too busy with other things such as partying to pay much attention to his school work causing him to fail several classes. Luckily for him, Hope had agreed to help him with his school work. And because good grades are required for sports, Noel agreed.

The two now shared a lot of things. Noel convinced Hope to join the soccer team and swimming team. Hope got Noel to help out at the local Historical center. And they both spend their down time playing video games. They were the perfect roommates for each other.

"Noel you know you would have been kicked out if it wasn't for me." Hope finished getting dressed and grabbed his messenger bag, wrapping it around his body.

Noel crossed his arms and smiled. "Save the lecture. We're gonna be late."

The two walked out of their room and headed down the hall and out to the campus. Their days normally were pretty static. They both had class at 9am to 12pm on Mondays and Wednesday.

Noel had another class directly after, then would go back to the dorm until 3pm for soccer practice. Hope went to the science club until 2, then meet with Noel at the dorm. Soccer practice went until 6 then they would both come back to the dorm, do their homework, get showers and normally play games. On the weekends, Noel would normally be gone all night at parties while Hope would be in the dorm either studying or relaxing.

"Excuse me!"

The boys turned around to spot a running girl coming their way. She stopped a foot in front of them and leaned down, putting her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath.

"You two are Noel and Hope right?" she said, looking up at them.

"Yeah, and who might you be?" Noel asked as he eyed the young looking girl.

"My name's Alyssa." The girl stood up straight and smiled cheerfully, putting her hands behind her back. "I'm the new intern here, I work for the housing department."

Both Noel and Hope looked at each other then back at the girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you Alyssa but we're going to be late for our class. Can you make it quick?" Hope said.

"Of course! I'm supposed to tell you about your new roommate. Unfortunately I seem to have forgotten her name.." the cheerful blonde tapped her finger against her chin.

"Her?" The brunette boy raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "You mean a girl?"

"Yep." she giggled.

Hope opened his mouth to say something but was stopped when the bell rang loud throughout the campus.

"Shit! We gotta go."

"Yes. It was nice to meet you Alyssa."  
"Bye!"

The boys ran towards the large building, leaving the girl behind. They ran all the way to their classroom. Once they reached it they were both out of breath. Luckily the professor wasn't in yet so they got in the room with ease. Hope took his normal spot in the front of the room, Noel sitting right behind him.

"Are we really getting a girl roommate?"

Hope turned around to face his friend. "It appears that way. Though I'm not sure how it will work considering we only have two beds."

"Hey maybe she's hot." Noel smirked and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I won't mind sharing."

"Is that all you think about?" Hope laughed softly.

"Can't blame me can you? Plus, you know you'd do the same."

"I'm not sure about that."

They both laughed and sat correctly in their chairs as the professor walked in. He immediately started teaching. It was history class, Hope's second favorite class, his first was his science classes. The boy took out his notebook and began writing everything the professor said and wrote on the board. Every bit of information intrigued him. Even the smallest details he found interesting.

The classes always felt so short. Hope would study and review all his notes several times until he memorized and understood every part of it. He could almost always tell you about any time period and the history of it. He was the college's most treasured history expert. The boy was happy to admit his studying paid off every time. Getting A's on every test, giving great speeches, writing top notch research papers. Hope Estheim was the number one student in the college.

Half way though the lecture, Hope could hear Noel becoming bored. He's probably eager about our new roommate. I suppose I'm eager as well. His thinking was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He turned his head slightly to the side to see a folded up piece of paper floating above his shoulder. Grabbing the paper quietly, he placed it under his notebook.

When the professor turned his back on the class to write on the board, Hope slipped the paper out from underneath his notebook.

'If she's hot, I call her first.'

Hope rolled his eyes and wrote a response underneath.  
'How do you know that she'll be into you? She might find you repulsing.'

He folded the paper back up and slid it quickly back to Noel as the teacher turned back around to face the class. It was another couple minutes until he felt another tap on his shoulder. This time, Hope didn't even look back to grab the paper. He reached back and grabbed the hovering paper. He did the same as he did with the previous time; hid the folded paper under his notebook until the teacher turned away. Luckily the lecture had just been review from the previous day.

'Hah, right. She'd have to like me. I mean just look at me.'

Hope quickly wrote a response.

'You sound just like Snow.'

He couldn't help but smile at his response as he passed it back to Noel. He waited quietly to listen to the scoff or crumpling of the paper. The loud crumple he heard made him laugh softly. The bell rang and Hope put his notebook away and wrapped his back around his body. Standing up, he turned to face Noel.

"Not funny Hope. You know I hate that guy." The brunette said as he stood up.

"I was just being honest. He would surely say something like that." He laughed softly. "Don't worry, I like you better than him. You're not as much as an ass."

"Thanks."

They both grabbed their phones after they vibrated in their bags. They read the messages in silence.

"Soccers canceled" Noel said, still staring at his phone.

"So is science club. Says because of a bad storm later."

"That's weird. I didn't see any bad weather online this morning."

Hope shrugged and put his phone back in his bag. "Let's just go back to the dorm.

"Right. Can we stop at the cafeteria and get something to go?"

The silver haired boy nodded and began walking out of the class. Both boys walked quietly. The cafeteria was about a good quarter mile from the lecture hall. Thankfully though, their dorm room was right next to the cafeteria building. Neither of the boys were out of shape by any means, but they were eager to get back and meet their new roommate. Though it confused them both why the person was a girl.

Coed housing accepted but most of the girls roomed with girls, and boys roomed with boys. And also not to mention that each room was only meant for two people. There were two beds, two closets, two dressers, two desks, and there wasn't really room to add anything for a third person.

'Maybe that girl Alyssa simply messed up the room number.' Hope thought to himself as they entered the cafeteria.

Hope got his usual grilled chicken salad with low fat honey mustard. For a side he got a bag of baked chips and a vitamin water for a drink. The boy kept a healthy diet. Of course he wasn't a health freak to the point of counting all the calories and fat he had a day. He simply knew not to overload his food with junk. He would have a desert every night and it satisfied him greatly. Hope looked down at the food in his hand and paid for it then waited for Noel. Noel paid for his things; a hamburger, chips, and a soda. They walked back to their dorm quickly.

"So, what do you think our roommate' gonna be like?" Noel asked as they walked down the hallway of the dorm building.

"I'm not sure. I hope she's like us though."

"Yeah, I wonder if she knows she's rooming with two guys.." he laughed and shook his head. "No way they could have left that out."

Hope smiled and nodded. He reached in his pocket and got out his key. When he put the key in the lock he realized it had already been unlocked. He pushed the door open slightly.

"You leave the door unlocked?" Noel said to him.

"No. I locked it. I always do."

They stepped inside and set their bags down. Hope looked around the main room and frowned. Nothing was out of place or missing. 'This is odd...Maybe our new roommate is here already.' He looked around again and shook his head to himself. 'No, there's no extra things here yet.'

"Hey... is the shower on?"

Hope turned towards the bathroom and listened. "I think it is?"

Both of the boys looked at each other and walked slowly towards the bathroom door. Sure enough they could hear the water running loudly. Noel pressed his ear against the door.

"There's definitely someone in there" he whispered.  
"Think it's our roommate?"

The brunette shrugged and continued to listen. He noticed that the water had stopped and he moved off of the door.

"What..."

Before Hope could finish his sentence, the bathroom door opened. In front of them stood their new roommate. Both boys flushed at the sight before them. The girl, well woman, was in a black bra and matching black underwear. Her skin was slightly tanned and flawless. The soft pink hair she had fell was slightly dried. It was pushed to the side and it fell right between her boobs. The damp bangs were pushed to the side, revealing her striking aqua eyes.

They both stared at her. Both from embarrassment and in awe. If Hope thought she was beautiful, then Noel surely did as well. It didn't register to them that they were staring.

"Uh, excuse me?"

Hope come to and stepped out of the way, grabbing Noel's arm and pulling him away as well. The girl stepped out of the bathroom and walked into the main room. Noel pulled Hope into the bathroom.

"Dude did you see her!" He ran his hand through his hair. "She's a total babe."

"She is attractive, I will admit."

"And.." He walked over to him and smirked. "Did you see her belly button ring? Total turn on. Wonder if she's got any others."

"Noel be reasonable. Don't start thinking about that. We don't even know her name."

Before they could continue their conversation the girl came back and stood in the doorway. The two turned and looked at her.

"Was there any luggage in the hallway?"

Both of them shook their heads. She was still in her underwear and bra. "Damn." The pink haired girl crossed her arms. "They told me it would be here by now."

"You can borrow a shirt or something if you want." Noel said.

She looked him up and down then focused on his face. "Thanks." She walked back out to the main room.

Noel followed after her, then Hope after him. The brunette walked over to his dresser and went through his messy drawers. After a minute he found a plain dark blue shirt and handed it to her. Hope watched from the bed as she slipped it on over her head. It was just long enough to cover her underwear. Noel put a hand on his hip and looked at the girl.

"So, I take it you're our new roommate?"

"What gave you the hint?" She stared at the brunette and crossed her arms.

Noel grinned. "Well, we've seen you half naked, but how about a name?"

"Lightning." Her voice was somewhat harsh.

"Interesting name... I'm Noel."

She looked at him for a second then over to Hope who was sitting on the bed. "What about you?"

"Hope. Pleasure to meet you Lightning. If you don't mind me asking, why did you pick this room? As you can see there's only two beds."

"The girl at housing told me that there weren't any other rooms available. She told me I could be in here with you two." She uncrossed her arms and put one on her hip. "I hope that won't be a problem."

Noel laughed softly. "Of course not."

"Right. Well i'm going to make some tea."

Lighting walked out of the room and into the small kitchenette. As the silence came, so did the realization that it was raining outside. The raindrops hit the window forcefully, making a tapping sound. Hope got off the bed and looked out the window. The sky was darker than normal for it only being two in the afternoon and dark storm clouds floated slowly in the sky.

"Wow.. I guess it really is going to storm." Hope said, looking up at the sky.

"Huh, weird. It was nice and sunny when we left class."

Hope turned to look at his friend that had moved next to him, also staring out the window. They heard Lightning finishing making her tea when the lights flickered. Both ignored it and continued looking out at the sky. Once the girl was finished, she walked back into the main room. The soft taps of her feet made both of the boys turn around.

Hope's cheeks turned a light pink as he watched her walking towards them. He had tried to suppress the thoughts, considering he didn't know anything about her. But he couldn't deny that she was very attractive. He surely wanted to get to know her well. The boy watched his friend out of the corner of his eyes. He was watching her too. Lightning's mouth opened up slightly to say something, unfortunately before she could say anything, the lights flickered out. The sound of the computers shutting off and the lights filled the room.

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**A/N: So before each chapter I'll give you the warnings for the content. So look out for that, and thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**WARNINGS: This chapter contains: language, alcohol & drug use and slight sexual references.**

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"Damn it!"

Lightning sighed and set down her tea on the small table and reached in her bra, pulling out a lighter. "Got a candle?"

Hope nodded and walked over to the desk, pulling out a red colored candle. He walked over to the pink haired girl and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She took the candle and light it quickly. Then she placed it down on the table next to her tea. "Doesn't help much but it'll do."

The candle did little to light the room. Thankfully because of the time, it wasn't very dark out. Lightning sat down in front of the table and began drinking her still steaming cup of tea. She sat with her legs criss crossed, making sure her underwear wasn't showing. Hope remembered his uneaten lunch and grabbed it off the desk. Noel soon remembered his as well. All three of them sat in silence. Hope and Noel eating and Lightning sipping her tea quietly.

Hope was finishing his salad when the silence was broken by Noel. "So where do you wanna sleep?"

"I was planning on the floor."

Hope shook his head. "That would be rude of us. You can take my bed." He could see Noel's eyes on him.

"Then where will you sleep?" She asked, looking up at him.

"I'll sleep on the floor. Besides not even your things have come yet. You deserve to be comfortable."

Lightning scoffed and shook her head. "You act like I'm homeless. I'm sleeping on the floor. It's fine."

"No, I insist."

"Fine. If it'll get you to stop treating me like i'm homeless instead of your roommate. But only for tonight."

Hope smiled to himself. _'Even if it's only for tonight, it makes me feel better.' _Putting his trash in the empty salad container, he looked at Noel. He was only halfway through his lunch. _'He's probably staring at Lightings boobs.' _Noel's shirt was baggy everywhere but in the chest. You could see the outline of her bra through it. Hope almost felt as perverted as his friend for noticing it too. He shook his head again and stood up, grabbing his trash. The boy walked in the kitchenette and threw his trash away.

There was a knock at the door and Hope walked over to open it. Once he opened it fully, there was no one there. Instead, there was two large grey suitcases and a pale pink bag. He looked down the hallway before pulling the items in the room.

"Lightning! Your things are here." He yelled, placing the bags a little from the door.

He walked over to the sink and washed his hands as he waited. In about a minute, she came walking in.

"Finally." She said as she walked over to her bags.

Grabbing them all, she pulled them back into the main room and laid them down next to the table. Hope followed her and sat down back in his spot. Noel had finally finished his food and was finishing his drink. Lightning unzipped her first suitcase and checked through the items. The suitcase that was opened had mostly clothes. Nothing that looked too girly. Mostly grey, tan, black, white, blue, and the occasional light pink. There were a lot of tank tops or low cut shirts along shorts and yoga pants, bras, and underwear.

The next suitcase contained mostly decorative things. A white laptop, soaps and hair products, shoes, bedding, and pillows. Lightning didn't open the bag that was with the two suitcases. She simply grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top before closing both suitcases and walking into the bathroom.

As the bathroom door shut, Noel sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Did we have any homework?" He asked, looking over at Hope.

He shook his head. "Good. Cause I'm going partying." Noel said standing up and walking over to his dresser.

"Now? The power's out. Who would be having a party?"

"The people down the hall. It's not like there's anything better to do."

He pulled out a tank top and took off the shirt he was wearing. The purple shirt was thrown on the floor and replaced with a red tank top. The less amount of clothing made his muscles stand out even more.

"Don't you think you should stay and get to know Lightning more?"

Noel shrugged. "We have the rest of the year to get to know each other. One night away isn't gonna make a difference. Hey, maybe she'll even want to go."

"She doesn't really look like the party type Noel."

Lightning opened the bathroom door as Hope finished his sentence. She walked out wearing a black tank top and tight black shorts. Her hair was all the way dry and looked soft, hanging down in-between her boobs. The silver necklace hung right above her boobs, hidden slightly by her hair. She looked beautiful.

"Going somewhere?" She asked, looking at Noel.

"Party" He said, running his fingers through his hair. "Wanna come?"

The corner of her lips twitched up. "Sure."

Hope looked at the floor. _'Their both going out... I know I normally don't do these sorts of things but.. there is no homework and I've already studied. Maybe I'll go for a bit.' _He stood up and looked at them. "I'm going too."

Noel's eyebrows raised. "Really? You've never come to a party."

"I'm only going for a bit. Then I'll come home."

For what was supposed to be only a bit, ended up being half the night. The party was funner than Hope expected it to be. For the first hour was spent watching Noel and Lightning taking shots of vodka and drags of weed. It shocked him to see Lightning do such things. She didn't strike him as the person to do such a thing. Hope did have a few beers, but not enough to make him even tipsy. He practically had to drag his roommates out of the party after a half an our of body shots off Lightning. Of course both protested but they were both too high and drunk to fight back against him.

He was now doing his normal before bed routine; washing his face and brushing his teeth, now that the power was finally back. His friends were still awake and laughing hysterically at who-knows-what. Hope was trying to finish quickly so he could go to bed. The morning meant holding back hair as Noel puked his stomach up and dishing out a cocktail of medicine and hangover cures. It brought him even more dread that he'd half to do twice as much.

Once he finished his tasks, he walked back out to put on his sleep ware. When he walked into the bedroom, Noel and Lightning were in their beds, well Lightning in Hopes, and laughing at each other. Hope noticed that they both had already changed. Noel in his boxers, and Lightning in a bra and pair of blue shorts. He walked over to his dresser and took out a tank top. He took off his shirt and pants and put the tank top on.

Before they had left, he set up his bed for the night; a sleeping bag and pillow next to the table. He now walked over to his 'bed' and sat down.

"Hope. Don't be stupid. Come sleep in your bed." Lightning said. Despite her intoxicated state, she didn't act much differently, besides the laughing and smiling.

"But you're sleeping in it."

"What you can't share with me? I don't care."

He thought about it for a second then nodded. "Okay." He stood up and walked over to his bed. Lightning moved over to the side and made room for him.

"If it gets too crowded you can always come sleep with me Light." Noel said, winking at her.

"Good night Noel." She shook her head and closed her eyes. Before long they were all asleep.

The next morning Hope was woken by both the sun, and the shower. He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The clock on the dresser read 8:30. He smiled slightly, thankful he didn't sleep too late. Even though it was now the weekend, he hated sleeping late. Hope sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked next to him to find an empty side of the bed. The sheets were straightened out and neat. _'Lightning must be in the shower.'_ He thought as he too, got out of bed.

Noel was still fast asleep in his bed. The blankets were mostly over him, only a bit of his brown hair sticking out from the sides. Hope walked into the kitchenette and found two steaming cups of coffee on the counter. He was hesitant to take one until he saw a note to the side. It simply said his name. He smiled and took the cup nearest the note. Hope took a couple sips, amazed at how wonderful it tasted. He made a small moan as he took another sip.

"That good?"

The silver head boy quickly turned around to the voice. Lightning was standing behind him. He blushed slightly, both at the embarrassment and the fact she was standing in just a towel.

"Oh.. Morning Lightning. How are you feeling?"

"Call me Light. I'm feeling fine. Think I can't handle a little party?" She walked over to her suitcase and pulled out her clothing for the day.

Hope tried not to look at her doing so. _'What's gotten into me? I shouldn't be looking at her like that. I barely know her damn it. Besides, I have too much school work to deal with to be thinking about this.' _He didn't notice he was staring until the bathroom door shut. Lightning was back in the bathroom. Hope sighed to himself and finished his coffee.

Around 9, he heard a groan from the bed. Hope was sitting at his desk on the computer. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the blankets move and another groan, louder.

"Hope... bucket.."

Knowing to routine already, he grabbed the bucket he had set next to him and walked over to his friend. After putting it down next to the bed on the floor, he walked around to the other side and pulled the blankets off the brunette.

"Try to make it _in_ the bucket this time please."

He watched his friend quickly pull himself to the edge of the bed and puke. Hope leaned close to him and pulled his hair out of the way. With the hair tie he had around his wrist, he put the hair back in a ponytail. He knew Noel hated it, but he didn't feel like sitting there for who knows how long while his friend puked his guts out.

Instead he walked to the bathroom, which Lightning was still in, and knocked on the door. "Light? You almost done?"

She opened the door and looked at him. "Yeah. Sorry." Instead of walking out like he thought she would, she went back to fixing her hair.

Hope walked in and over to the small medicine cabinet that was hanging on the wall. There were several bottles of medicine, he didn't have to look at the bottles before pulling three out and shutting the cabinet.

It wasn't until noon that Noel started to feel better. Hope had been at his side since he woke up. Once he felt strong enough to get out of bed, the first thing he did was pee and take a shower. It let the silver haired boy finally get some time to himself. The morning was better than expected. Lightning seemed perfectly fine. No hangover, no nothing. It was sort of a relief to him, even though he wouldn't have minded taking care of her too.

Finally Noel was ready to get some proper food around 2.

"Where'd Light go?" The brunette asked as they were walking out of the room.

"Now that you mention it.. I'm not sure. I haven't seen her since you woke up."

The two of them didn't say anymore on their walk to the cafeteria. His friend was probably still too weak to talk much. This happened every weekend. After seeing multiple times what a hangover can do to you, it made Hope never want to get drunk. That's why he normally didn't go to parties with his friend.

When they got to the cafeteria, they noticed that there was barely anyone there. It had been an odd sight. In the whole month they had been there, there had always been a lot of people when they went. Though they never went at that time. Hope got both his, and Noel's food. His friend had found a seat in the middle of the room and had his head in his hands. Hope walked over to him and set the small amount of food in front of them.

"Got you your usual" he said, pushing the bottle of water, banana, and applesauce.

"You know I hate this shit."

"You'll hate it more if you don't eat it and get sick again."

Hope picked at his sandwich and looked around the room. "Besides, you'll feel better afterwards. You know it."

The brunette mumbled something before peeling his banana and taking a small bite. Hope continued to look around. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted someone walking towards them. He turned to look at the person. Once he knew who it was, he sighed.

"Hey guys. Long time no see." said the man.

"Hi Snow." Hope said quietly.

He could see Noel's eyes twitch as he took another bite of banana, not looking up at the blonde who was standing next to them. There was a minute of silence before the man sat down next to them. He had his usual black tee and blue vest along with his black pants.

"Still hungover Noel? Gotta learn how to hold your alcohol!" Snow patted the brunette's back somewhat hard.

Hope prayed that Noel wouldn't decide to lash out on him. That was the last thing he needed to do. Thankfully, he held back. "I'm fine. Just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah, Yeah, that's what they all say. Anyway I didn't come over here to talk about hangovers. I heard you got a new roommate. A girl?"

"That's right. She got in last night."

"It's only been a day and you're already talking about?" They all turned and looked at the voice. Lightning looked at Hope, then at Snow. "What are you doing here?" Her chin flicked up as she asked the question.

"More like what are _you _doing here sis?"

Hope and Noel both looked at Lightning. "He's your brother?" Noel asked, almost disgusted.

"He wishes." She sat down in the last chair at the table, crossed her arms and looked at them all.

"We're not related yet, but we will be soon. Once I ask Serah to marry me." He balled his hand into a fist and smiled.

"Woah. Hold on. You mean to tell me that Serah is your sister Lightning?" Noel said.

"That's right. And there's no way that idiot's gonna marry her."

"Hey, I take good care of Serah. I do everything to keep her safe and happy!"

Lightning simply scoffed and looked away. Hope swallowed his bite of sandwich he had been chewing then spoke. "Serah.. Farron? The girl in our English class?"

Noel and Snow nodded. "So let me see if I have this correct. Lightning is Serah's sister, who is dating Snow."

"Right." Lightning said.

"Why'd you come here Light? I thought were doing the military stuff." Snow leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.

"It's none of your business. I just decided to come here for a bit."

"Well why room with these guys? You could have roomed with Serah and I?"

"No thanks. I'm fine with Noel and Hope."

Snow and Lightning argued for a while. Hope was somewhat glad that Lightning had come along, that way Snow wouldn't talk to him or Noel. But after almost an hour of sitting with them, they decided to leave. By the time they got back to the room, it was almost 4. Noel had finally perked up and decided to play one of his many computer games. Hope got a shower and shaved, then joined his friend. The two played until they both were almost asleep. Hope drug Noel to his own bed, then went into his.

The rest of the weekend was rather boring. None of them had classes until Tuesday. Hope studied for most of Sunday, while Noel went to practice soccer. Lightning was no where to be found, though her small pile of laundry was the indication that she had come back to the room at some point. Before they knew it, it was Monday night.

Hope was trying to fall asleep when he heard the door open. He had no idea what time it was, but it must have been late since Noel was fast asleep. With all the lights off, he opened his eyes. Lightning's form was barely visible, but it could be seen. She pulled a bag from her shoulder and put it next to her suitcases. She pulled off her shirt and tossed in her laundry pile. Next she pulled off her shorts and they joined the pile as well. Only in her underwear and bra, she walked over to the sleeping bag that was still on the floor.

'_Damn.. I don't want her to sleep on the ground.. but if I say something.. she'll know I was watching.' _Despite his thoughts, he spoke up.

"Light, come sleep with me. In the bed I mean." Even though it was pitch dark, he thought that she could see the dark red that was his face.

"I didn't think you'd be up."

"Can't sleep." He sighed and sat up some, revealing his bare chest.

She walked over to the bed and crawled in. She took the side she had slept on the night before. Hope noticed how good she smelled. It was a mixture of rose and peach.

"What time do you have class tomorrow?"

"Not till noon. You?"

"I don't have anything until Wednesday." She pulled the blankets over her legs and up to her stomach, leaving her naval ring still showing.

"Oh." He paused for a minute. "Mind if we just talk for a bit?"

"Sure. About what?" She looked over at him.

"How old are you?"

She brushed her bangs out of her face. "21. You?"

"I'm 19. Noel's the same."

Lightning turned her body and leaned on her side, facing him all the way. "Young. Got a girlfriend?"

He was a little taken back by the question and hesitated for a minute. "No. Do you have one? O-Or a boyfriend?" Hope mentally face palmed himself. Why was he so embarrassed?

"Neither. But I'm straight incase you were going to ask."

The two talked for a while, both getting to know each other. Hope had learned a lot about the girl. Her parents died when she was young, leaving her to take care of her sister Serah. She was previously in the army but left, the reason he still didn't know. She got her naval piercing when she was 18 along with a small flower tattoo on her left breast.

Hope also shared some facts about himself as well. His mother died around the same age as Lightning. He had straight A's all through high school. He was a single child. Finally that he wants to be a researcher in the science field. Lightning commented on how 'boring' his information was. They didn't go to sleep until around 1am. The silver haired boy fell into a deep sleep. His mouth started to twitch as he began dreaming.

_He sat in his chair at his desk, researching for a paper. He had no concept of time in the empty dorm room. It was quiet, even the keys he was pressing didn't make any noise. The door opened and he kept on working. _

"_Hope." _

_The voice was soft and sexy. Hope turned to see who was calling his name. About two feet away from him, dressed in a light pink tank top that was extremely see-through and a pair of black spandex, was Lightning. _


	3. Chapter 3

_**WARNINGS: This chapter contains; violence, language and sexual refrences**  
_

* * *

_Hope's face light up bright red. The woman walked towards him slowly. Her boobs bounced slightly as she walked to right in front of him. She looked down at him, caressing his chin and tilting it up to look at her. A small smirk appeared on her lips. Hope gulped and looked at her, probably turning even more red. Then she leaned down slowly and kissed him softly. Her lips were incredibly soft. The way they felt against his were amazing. He wanted more, but she pulled away and stood all the way up. _

_Her body was beautiful. Her boobs were completely visible through her tank top. The small nipples were hard, poking her shirt out some. Her naval ring was visible as well, making it all the more sexy. The tight shorts outlined her waist wonderfully. She had a perfect toned body. _

_"Hope. I want you." _

"Hope.. Hope." The boy opened his eyes and almost screamed. Hovering over him was Lightning. "You okay? You were making some weird noises." She stood up, still looking at him.

"Yeah.." His voice was somewhat shaky. "Just a bad dream. Sorry to worry you."

She made a small hum then went and sat down by the table. Her laptop was opened and she went back to what she was doing. Hope sat up and rubbed his face. He pushed the blankets off him. Immediately after doing so he knew it was a mistake. His boner was sticking straight up in his boxers. He quickly pulled the blankets over his waist and could feel his cheeks turn red.

Lightning was still buried deep in whatever she was doing. '_Okay Hope. Just get to the bathroom._' He took a deep breath and got out of bed, walking quickly to the bathroom. He sighed happily when he made it unnoticed. Hope quickly turned on the shower then pulled his underwear off, getting into the warm water.

_'This is horrible. What kind of person have I become_?' Even though his roommate was in the other room, he had to get rid of his now painful erection. He quickly fixed his problem, trying not to think about anything put how good it felt. After he finished washing his hair and body, he wrapped a towel around himself and walked out of the bathroom. He checked the time on his way to his dresser. It was only 11.

The silver haired boy got dressed and got himself ready for the rest of the day. Thankfully, Lightning was too busy in what she was doing to really pay attention to him. Once it was 11:45, he said goodbye to her and left for class.

Most of the day was a blur to him. He constantly tried to keep his mind off the pink haired woman, fearing her would get lost in his thoughts and get another embarrassing erection. Before he knew it, it was already time for soccer practice. He met up with Noel in the locker room.

"Hey." The brunette said as he was pulling shirt on.

"Hey."

"How was your morning alone with Light?"

Hope tried not to think about his dream. "It was fine. I got up a little late so we didn't talk much. But we talked last night when she got home."

"Ah. Did you make a move yet?" Noel snickered softly and pulled on his shorts.

"Don't be ridiculous Noel. It hasn't even been a week." He felt his face heat up.

"But you've thought about it haven't you? I know you more than you think Hope."

He sighed and finished getting dressed. "I had a dream about her.. nothing happened.. we just kissed but.. she was practically naked."

Before he could finish he heard the coach yelling for them to get out on the field. "Tell me after practice." Noel said as they walked out together.

Practice went as it normally did. Snow was a dick and hogged the ball the whole time, claiming he was the team's "Hero". Noel yelled at the blonde at least ten times and Hope just tried to concentrate on the practice. By the time it was over, the two boys were sweaty and tired. They grabbed their bags and put them on their shoulders and began walking back to the dorm.

"So tell me the rest of that dream." Noel said as soon as they were away from everyone.

"Well.. I was sitting at my desk, on my computer when she came in. She was wearing a see-through pink tank top.. without a bra on, and black spandex."

"Damn. That's sexy."

Hope nodded then continued. "She walked over to me, leaned down and kissed me. It felt so good, even though I knew it wasn't real. But she pulled away soon after. Then she said.. I want you Hope. And that was all."

"God damn Hope. Why can't I have those kinds of dreams?"

"Trust me. It was more embarrassing when Light woke me up asking if I was okay cause I was making weird noises."

Noel looked at him then burst out laughing. "Oh shit! Did you have a boner?"

"Of course. Wouldn't you?"  
He nodded then caught his breath. "Absolutely. Did she notice?"

Hope shrugged. "I don't think so. I surely hope she didn't."

"Okay Hope. So you obviously have some kind of feelings for her, even if it is just sexual. I have an idea, there's a party this Friday and everyone's gonna be there. So I think you should ask Light to go and try to make a move on her."

The silver haired boy thought in silence as they walked into the dorm building. '_Could I really do something like that? I'm not really that kind of person. But then again.. I haven't had thoughts like this in a while._' Once they reached their hallway, he made up his mind.

"Okay. I'll give it a try."

Noel smirked and leaned against the wall next to their door while Hope retrieved the keys. He opened the door and looked around. There was something wrong, he could feel it. Lightning's bags were scattered throughout the room. The light pink bag was dumped out and left in the middle of the room. Hope dropped his back and looked around the room more.

"Fuck, where's Light?" Noel asked as he too put his bag down.

"I don't know."

They both looked at the mess on the floor. Clothes were everywhere. Oddly enough, only the pink haired girls things were all over. Noel sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Hope continued to go around, seeing if anything of his was missing. When he got to the kitchen he heard a soft sound. He furrowed his brow and turned in the direction of the noise. He walked slowly over to the bathroom and leaned against the door. He heard water running. Hope stepped back some and put his hand on the doorknob. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.

The shower was on and the room was steamy. He waved his hand in front of him to try and see better. Sitting on the floor of the shower was Lightning. Her head was leaned back against the wall and her eyes were closed. Hope walked closer to her. She was naked, revealing the cuts on her body.

"Light!"

The boy rushed over to the shower and turned off the water. He leaned down and grabbed her wrist, making sure a pulse was still there. He looked at her and shook her shoulder.

"Lightning.."

This time, she opened her eyes slightly and looked at him. "Hope.."

"Hold on Light." He turned his head to face the door. "Noel!"

The boy came running in and looked at them. "Oh shit.."

"I need you to grab my med kit under the sink."

Noel nodded and did so, handing it to Hope. He opened it up and grabbed a white cloth. He wrapped it around the cut on her arm that was still bleeding badly. After making sure it was tight enough, he moved on to washing the small cuts with a bit of saline. He put bandaids on them after and handed Noel the medical kit.

"Help me get her out to the bed."

Together, Noel and Hope picked up the pink haired girl and carried her out to Hope's bed. She didn't say a word during it. Only a small hiss came out of her mouth when they picked her up. Hope sat her up against the pillows and covered her shaking body with a blanket. He sat down in front of her and sent Noel to get a glass of water. Once he was gone, Hope leaned up and pushed her damp bangs out of her face.

"I'm gonna get a shower. Are you gonna be okay with her?" Noel said as he came back with the water.

Hope nodded and thanked him. "Light.. Drink some water."

She opened her eyes and gently grabbed the water, putting the edge of the cup to her lips and taking a small sip. He watched her, his eyes filled with sadness. 'Who would do something like this?'

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Just fell in the shower." She sat up more, cringing and set the glass on the nightstand.

"You think I'd believe that?"

"Right. Forgot you're number one here. Either way, it's none of your business."

"Are you serious? We come home to find you naked, cut, bruised, and all of your things scattered around the room?" He moved his hand out to the side, pointing at the mess.

"Fuck." She mumbled and looked over at her things. Lightning sat up more and tried to swing her legs off the bed, but was stopped by Hope. She turned and looked at him. "I need to go clean it up."

"No. You're not going anywhere. You can clean it up later. You need to tell me what happened."

Lightning looked into Hope's eyes. They were the most sincere thing she's ever seen. He watched her sigh and leaned back to the position she was in. She pulled the blanket up over her again and cringed when she put her arm down.

"I'm trying to make money."

Her voice was quiet and her eyes averted away from the silver haired boy. "Trying to make money?" He took a second and widened his eyes. "Light... are you.. selling yourself for money?"

She scoffed. "Think i'm _that_ low? I'm selling drugs."

"Drugs! What if you get caught! You'll be expelled and in jail!"

The pink haired girl sharply turned her head and looked at the boy. Her bangs fell in her face. "You think I don't know that? I don't care about the consequences. I _need_ to do this."

"What could be so bad that you need to do that?"

"My sister. She's sick. I need to make the money for her."

Hope blinked and relaxed some. "Serah's sick? She was fine in class-"

"She has cancer okay?" Lightning interrupted him, and averted her eyes gain.

There was a dead silence between the two. It was broken by Noel walking out the bathroom. He smiled softly at them and walked over to his dresser. Sensing that the two were talking about something, he got dressed quickly then walked over to them. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"You okay Light?" She simply nodded and smiled softly at him. "I'd love to stay and make sure you're really okay, but I have a class." He stood up and brushed his hair out of his face. "Hope''ll take good care of you." He patted the silver haired boy on the back and grabbed his school bag, then walked out.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Hope spoke again. "I take it you're the only one that knows she's sick."

She nodded. "She didn't want to tell Snow yet."

"Lightning look, I know you.. you want to help your sister but you shouldn't have to sell drugs to do it. There are plenty of other better ways that you can do to help."  
"This is the fastest and best way for me."

Hope frowned. "I can't make you stop.. but can I ask you a question?" He met her eyes as she looked up at the same time.

After a nod, Hope continued. "If this happened to you.. and the people you sell to know you live here.. doesn't that put Noel and I in danger too?"

He watched her open her mouth slightly to say something. She stayed like that for a minute then sighed and looked to the side. "I didn't think about that."

Once again, their conversation was interrupted by a phone ringing. Lightning's grey phone vibrated against the table. They both looked at it. The name was hard to read but when Hope's eyes focused on it he frowned. It was Snow.

"Let it go. He can wait." Lightning said as she flipped the phone over. "If it was something important, he wouldn't be the one calling me." She sat up more. "I'm feeling better. Can I get dressed now?"

Hope nodded. "Do you need help getting up?"

The woman shook her head and got up, letting the blanket fall off her. Hope opened his mouth to ask if she wanted him to leave, but closed it when she walked over to her suitcase. He watched the way she moved. Even with cuts all over her, she moved with great grace. Despite the event that just happened, he couldn't help but look her body over. Her body was just as perfect as he saw in his dream. Her skin looked as soft as cotton and absolutely flawless.

"D-Do you want me to leave so you can get dressed?"

He heard her laugh softly. "What you never seen a girl naked before? You're in college, not grade school. I don't care if you see."

"Right."

Hope looked away while his roommate got dressed. He played with the bottom of his shirt and thought to himself. 'I've got to do something to help her.. but she doesn't seem to want to talk about it anymore.. m-maybe I'll just ask her about the party to get her mind off it.. no.. then she'll think I don't care.." He sighed to himself and looked over at his roommate who was standing next to him. She sat down again, now in purple shorts and a baggy white shirt. Hope tilted his head and noticed that the shirt was his.

"Couldn't find any of my shirts. You don't mind do you?"

"No." He bit his lip then looked up at her again. "Hey.. Noel told me that there's a party on Friday. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? Like friends."  
She squinted her eyes. "Noel told me you aren't the party type. There a reason you want me to go with you?"

Hope was at lost for words. 'Damn it. What do I say now?" He tried to think of something quickly. "I realized I've been studying a lot this semester. I could really use some stress relief."

"Okay, I was going to go anyway, but I'll go with you." She said as she pulled the blanket over her legs.

He looked at her arm and noticed the red cloth that was still there. Leaning over, he gently pulled the cloth off. Lightning didn't say anything and simply watched him. The wound was still bleeding some. He sighed softly and looked at her.

"I need to clean this one. That okay?" She nodded then watched him as he walked over to the sink. He grabbed a hand towel and wetted it under the water. Once it was wet enough, he walked back over to her. "This might hurt so just.. take a deep breath."

He wiped the wound several times as it kept bleeding. Fortunately after another couple minutes, it finally stopped. He smiled and wiped the remaining blood off her arm. Hope walked to the bathroom and grabbed a gauze pad and a wrap out of his medical kit then returned once again to his roommate. He wrapped the would up and smiled.

"Thanks."

"You look a lot better."

"Well what can I say? I'm a tough girl."

Hope laughed and nodded. The pink haired girl laughed softly. "Hey, I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh since you've been here."

She shrugged. "I don't laugh much. Only with people I trust and care about."

The boy blushed slightly and smiled. "So you trust and care about me?"

"Yeah.. I can tell how much you care about me. Even though you just met me, you treat me like I'm part of your family."

"You don't have many people in your life like that do you Light?"

She shook her head. "Serah's the only one."

"I feel honored to be the second." Hope smiled brightly and looked at her.

"Yeah well don't make me change my mind." She said, gently hitting him on the shoulder.

The rest of the night went pretty well, considering what had happened that day. While Noel was out, Hope found out that Serah was diagnosed the week before and that's why Lightning came to the school. She could keep a better eye on her and be there if anything happened. She could always return to the military. She couldn't have another chance with her sister. It was strange, in such a short time, Hope felt that he got to know Lightning so much better.

When Noel got home, she told him as well. The kind of cancer that Serah had was a rare. She had Osteosarcoma, a cancer that forms in the cells that make bones. The doctor had told her that she had only a few years left, though her chances would be higher if she had treatment. Unfortunately, neither of them had the money for the procedures. That's how Lightning got into selling drugs. She herself didn't do any, besides the occasional blunt of weed and cigarettes.

They all talked until midnight. That was when Noel went to bed anyway. Hope and Lightning stayed up for another half an hour.

"Thanks for letting me sleep here." She whispered as she laid down.

"I'm not gonna let you sleep on the floor. You know that. Plus, I don't mind having someone to talk to like this. When Noel's not out partying, he normally goes to sleep before me."

Lightning laughed softly. "Only Noel."

Hope looked over at her and smiled. '_I really am developing feelings for her.._'


	4. Chapter 4

_**Warnings: This chapter contains; language, alcohol and drug use, and sexual content.**_

_**AN: A little something special for this chapter ;)  
**_

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Before Hope knew it, it was already Friday. The week seemed to be going a little too fast. Luckily, the week had brought mostly good things. Noel and him both aced their history exam, thanks to Hope's study routine. Lightning wasn't gone for long periods of time as much, and finally, all three of them had a long talk over dinner one night. It was refreshing to all of them, and not to mention the bonds that were growing. Lightning was still her tough, stubborn self, but Hope and Noel could see that she had loosened up a lot since the last week.

But there was also the bad part of it being Friday. That meant that the party was that night. Hope was beyond nervous. He sat in the bathroom fixing his hair. There wasn't anything that he was doing differently. It was his normal, bangs to the side and perfectly straight. Though he couldn't help but feel that it just wasn't right.

"Hope you almost ready? You've been in there for a half an hour. What did you turn into a girl?"

The silver haired boy heard his roommate snickering and he opened the door. "Very funny Noel."

"C'mon, you look fine." He said, patting him on the shoulder.

Hope made a small hum and checked himself in the mirror once more before walking out of the bathroom. Instead of his normal button down shirts and khakis, he was wearing a yellow tee shirt and dark tan shorts. While it wasn't his normal, he couldn't deny that it was comfy.

When he got into the main room he looked at his two roommates. Noel was in a dark blue tee and black shorts, the tee being probably tighter than it needed to be. Lightning however, was in clothing that made Hope blush. She was wearing a brown cut off top that had very little coverage and her famous black spandex.

"Ready to go?" She asked as the boy walked in.

He nodded and they all walked out of the room. It was a bit of a walk to the party. It was being hosted in another building. But it gave Hope time to think. _'I really like her. I know I tried to deny it before but.. there's just something about her.'_ The only problem is, it was so soon to develop a crush but Hope was being pulled in like a magnet just by her presence. The way she talked, walked, sat, everything. The toughness of her. It all made his insides warm.

The boy watched the pink hair girl walk. He wished that it wouldn't be awkward. What would she do when he tried to make a move on her? Would she be repulsed? Hope didn't know. Despite his good ethics and looks, Hope had never had a girlfriend before. Never been kissed, touched, tainted. He was 100% pure.

They finally arrived at the party about five minutes later. When they stepped inside, Hope waved his hand in front of him to clear the smoke out of his face. The room reeked of alcohol and drugs he couldn't identify. Noel walked over to a guy and did the typical jock chest bump and smiled. Hope looked around and took in his surroundings. Thankfully, Lightning didn't run off. She looked over at him.

"Lets have a drink. It'll calm you down."

She walked over to a table full of red cups. Hope followed her, trying to avoid all the people that were dancing. He looked in the cups and tried to distinguish what was in them. It was hard to tell due to poor lighting and that well, he just didn't know. Lighting lifted up one and downed it quickly, cringing slightly. He watched her pick up another, then looked down and picked up one for himself. When he swallowed the liquid, it felt and tasted horrible.

While he was coughing, Lightning came over and put her hand on his shoulder. "You'll get used to it."

"What is that? It's not beer." He grabbed another cup and tilted it, moving around the small amount of liquid in it.

"It's vodka."

He quickly drank the cup he had in his hand and coughed again. "Don't you put that kind of stuff in a shot glass?"

She shrugged. "Less obvious this way. Besides, who wants to waste their shot glasses at a party like this?"

The girl grabbed another cup and drank it just as fast as the other ones. She then walked over to a group of people. Hope watched her from where he was. She grabbed something small and held it up to her mouth and breathed in deeply. As she handed the white item back to the person she took it from, she exhaled, making a perfect smoke ring. She walked back over to him.

"Come dance." She said, smiling slightly.

"Dance? I don't really know how."

"Of course you do." She grabbed his arm gently and pulled him over to part of the room that wasn't crowded. "Just listen to the music and let your body take over."

He watched her for a minute. She danced wonderfully. Hope could tell the vodka was starting to have an effect on her. Her eyes were closed slightly and she loosened up. Her pink hair fell from her shoulder and on her back. It swayed as she moved her body. She moved her hips expertly to the beat. Hope bit his lip and continued to watch her. By this time though, he felt a strange sensation throughout his body. His face started to heat up some as the feeling intensified.

"Hope!" The pink haired girl looked at him. "Dance!" She grabbed the boys hands and put them on her own waist before resuming her dancing.

The boy blushed and tried to dance some. His attempt was rather unsuccessful. His mind was taken over by his thoughts. _'I have my hands on her hips.. I can't believe this is happening.' _Hope looked around the room. He didn't know anyone. He spotted Noel in the corner. He was making out with a girl he had never seen before. _'Well at least I know he's not still caught up in Light.'_

His thoughts were interrupted by his friend moving closer. Hope then realized that she was drunk. Her eyes were still slightly closed and her cheeks were tinted pink. She then turned around in his arms and leaned against him. The silver haired boy's heart raced. He adjusted his hands on her waist. Her skin felt as soft as it looked.

As a new song started, Lightning began grinding against her roommate. By this time, the alcohol had kicked into Hope's system. All his over thinking from before was gone. He moved in sync with the girl. He could smell her rose perfume on her neck and his hands rubbed her hips gently. Hope could tell Lightning was enjoying herself. During the next few songs their dancing had become more erratic.

Everything around him was blocked out. The only thing he concentrated on was Lightning. The way she moved up against him. The way she smelled. The way she was panting softly. Everything was surging through his body. Hope could feel his erection straining against his shorts. He was sure the girl could feel it, but he didn't care.

After the song finished she turned around again in his arms. "Let's get out of here." She said as she grabbed his hand and they walked out of the party together.

They walked quickly in the dark back to their dorm, still holding hands. When they were about half way back, Hope thought of something.

"Lightning." He stopped walking and she looked back at him.

"What?"

He moved in and kissed her softly. Her lips were soft like everything else on her body. _'Oh god, this is just like my dream'_ Hope didn't know how the kiss felt to her. He tried his best to make it good. Thankfully, it seemed like she was enjoying it. Her lips kissed his back.

She pulled away and looked at him. "Let's get back to our room."

The boy nodded and they started walking again. Hope's heart was racing as they got closer to the dorm. What was going to happen? Whatever was, Hope was eager to find out. They got to the door and Hope opened it, turning on the light and walked in. He heard the door close and he turned around. Lighting grabbed his shoulders and back him up until his knees were hitting the edge of the bed.

She had a smirk on her lips as he fell back on his butt to the bed. He looked up at her and blushed. She sat down on his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms resting on his shoulders. Hope's eyes met hers. They both leaned in at the same time and kissed each other hard. His hands rested on her hips and rubbed them softly.

At the moment, he didn't care if it was the alcohol making her like this. He loved it. He let his body take over. His hands ran up her muscular stomach, feeling her naval piercing against his fingers. He reached up and grabbed the zipper to her top. Before he could pull it down, she pulled away from the kiss. She looked at him and smirked, reaching down and pulling the zipper down slowly.

Hope's heart started racing again. He watched as Lightning slowly pulled the zipper all the way down. She pulled the sides apart, exposing her breasts. A surge of pleasure shot through Hope's body. Once the top was all the way off, he reached his hands up and squeezed her boobs gently. Lightning made a small mewl and closed her eyes. The boy massaged them slowly, watching her reactions to every move he made. His thumb brushed over her hard nipples and Lightning gasped loudly.

After a few minutes, the pink haired girl gripped Hope's shirt, pulling it up some. "Off. Now."

He pulled away and pulled off his own shirt. Lightning immediately started roaming her hands along his chest. Hope put his hands on the side of her thighs, pulling her closer. It startled him when she pushed on his shoulders, pushing him on his back and climbing over top of him. He looked up at her then thought of an idea.

Hope put his hands on her shoulders. She looked at him. "What are you-"

Before she could finish, he flipped them. He was now hovering over top of her. His mouth twitched up into a small smirk. Despite never have done any of this before, he thought he was doing pretty well. His hands moved to her hips. He tucked a finger in her spandex. He looked at her, making sure she didn't look uncomfortable. She was the opposite. Her eyes were hooded, her cheeks tinted pink.

He pulled down her shorts, revealing her purple lace thong. Hope restrained a moan that was bugging at the back of his throat. He looked up at her once again as he lifted up the top of her underwear. This time, she made a small whimper. He let go gently, making sure it didn't snap against her skin. He rubbed two fingers against her, over the underwear. She moaned and opened her eyes.

"Hope.."

He looked up at her. His mouth opened to answer her when there was a knock on the door.

"God damn it." Lightning sat up. "Who the hell could that be?"

"Hope! Let me in!"

The silver haired boy sighed as he recognized the voice. He got up, giving Lightning an apologetic look before walking over to the door. He opened it slightly, trying not to reveal his roommate.

"Snow what is it? I'm busy."

"I've got your buddy. He passed out a couple minutes ago."

Hope sighed and stepped outside. Laying against the wall was Noel. "He's fine. This happens a lot. He's just dehydrated."

The blond raised his hand up and rubbed his head. "Ah.. well if you say so."

"Thanks. I got it from here."

The boy waited until Snow was out of sight before leaning down and lifting Noel up. When he got him good in his arms, the brunette began to wake up some.

"Hope? How'd I get here."

"Passed out." He opened the door and walked in, shutting the door quickly after. "You know the routine. Don't take too long or you'll pass out again." He set his roommate down in the bathroom.

"Thanks." Noel said, rubbing his face.

The silver haired boy ran his hand through his head and walked out, shutting the bathroom door. He walked back to his other roommate, who had wrapped herself in a blanket.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly.

Hope sat down next to her and sighed. "Noel passed out. He's okay though. Almost every time he drinks he gets too dehydrated. He should be better in a bit."

Thankfully, the several times it has happened and after getting instructions from the school doctor, Noel had mastered what to do by himself. Hope was glad, especially since he currently had a raging boner and was in the middle of a heated session with Lightning.

"So much for our fun." She mumbled.

He looked over at her. Her pink hair was somewhat messy but still perfect in a way. Her cheeks were normal color and he could no longer see her half naked body in front of him. He had gotten so close. Thinking about what all could have happened made his boner even more painful. Hope reached down and pulled his shorts down, revealing his blue boxers.

"I guess we should go to bed then."

The girl looked over at him. "You're going to go to sleep with a boner?"

"Well.. it's not like I can do anything about it."

"Get under the blanket."

He looked at her with a confused look on his face. But he quickly slid under the blankets as Noel emerged from the bathroom. He rubbed his forehead and walking into the main room.

"Hey.. mind if I turn off the lights? I'm gonna go to bed.."

Hope nodded and watched his roommate turn off the light then crawl into his bed. It was only a few minutes before they heard the boy snoring. That was when Lightning looked over at Hope.

"You have to be quiet or else I can't help you."

He nodded and watched her as her hand crawled under the blankets. He felt her hands tugging at his underwear and pulled them off. The boy bit his lip, wondering if what he thought was going to happen was really happening. He then felt a hand wrap around his member. His hand shot up and covered his mouth to stop himself from moaning. Lightning's hand felt ten times better than his own.

She moved it slowly and expertly. He felt as her thumb rubbed along the slit. The boy almost screamed.

"Sh.." She whispered in his ear and kissed it gently.

Her hand moved faster, feeling even more amazing. Hope began to feel a pooling at the bottom of his stomach. _'No. Not yet..'_ But he couldn't hold it back. He made a strangled moan in his throat and finished. His body spasmed some as Lightning pulled her hand back. She grabbed a tissue and wiped her hand.

"God that was.." The boy was panting softly and didn't finish his sentence because of a pair of lips against his.

"Go to sleep." She whispered against his lips.

Hope nodded and looked at her. She slide under the blankets and turned over. He smiled softly and looked at the way her pink hair looked against the smooth skin of her back. He came down from his high and realized how tired he was. Hope closed his eyes and fell almost immediately asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Warnings: This chapter contains; language, and some sexual references**_

* * *

The silver haired boys eyes fluttered open as a wave of nausea washed over him. He sat up quickly and covered his mouth. Hope pushed off the blankets and ran to the bathroom. He fell to his knees and grabbed the toilet bowl, puking loudly. His whole body was shaking and he slumped down on the floor. That was the first time he had puked while at college. It was a shock to him. Then he remembered that he was drinking last night.

Hope rubbed his eyes and stood up, holding onto the wall for support. He walked back to his bed and laid down. That was when he realized that Lightning was still asleep. He looked over at the other bed. Noel was still sleeping too. He sighed and checked the time on the clock. It was only 9:30 in the morning.

Lightning made a small noise and turned over to face him. She was still asleep. Her face was relaxed and even more beautiful than when she was awake. Her pink hair was little messy and Hope smiled. Then he realized that she was naked, well as much as he could see. He lifted up the blanket some, revealing that she still had underwear on. He sighed in relief softly.

He wondered why she was naked from the waist up. Then his eyes widened. _'Oh god.. did something happened between us last night?'_ Hope tried to remember. The only thing he could recall was when they started dancing. _'She's never slept without a shirt or bra on..' _He rubbed his forehead, trying his best to remember anything at all.

As he looked over at the girl again, he saw her eyes were open. He blushed and turned on his side, facing her. "Light.."

"Yeah?" she said sleepily and yawned.

"What..what happened last night?"

She looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"I don't remember anything after we started dancing."

Lightning laughed softly and looked at him. "Don't get drunk often do you?"

The boy blushed and shook his head. He watched as she sat up some, her pink hair fell delicately over her shoulder, landing over her left breast. Hope then saw the flower tattoo she had mentioned to him before. It was a dark pink rose. It contrasted wonderfully against her slightly tanned skin.

"Done staring at my boobs? You didn't even stare that much last night."

Hope's face turned bright red. "W-What?"

"Hope.. you really don't remember?"

He shook his head again and bit his lip. She sat up more and scooted closer to him. "We left the party around 11. Then came back here and made out. I'm pretty sure we would have had sex if it wasn't for Snow interrupting."

Just as he thought his face couldn't get any redder, it did. He couldn't believe it. That was nothing like what he had planned to do. He planned to tell her about his crush and maybe kiss her, _maybe._

"I didn't take advantage of you did I? Since you were drunk and all.."

"Hope. Do you think I'd just sit there and let you do that to me?"

She had a good point. Lightning was surely not that type of girl. "Was it, I mean, did it feel good?"

Instead of answering his question, she leaned over and kissed him gently. Her pink hair fell on his chest, tickling it softly. "Think I would do that if it didn't?"

"Light.. I really do like you. I don't want this to just be about physical pleasure. I really want this to be a relationship."

The pink haired girl looked at him. "I'm not sure." She laid back down and put her hand over her heart. "There's a lot that comes with me. No one else should carry that burden."

"What burden? Your sister Serah? I'll help, believe me. Even if I didn't want to be with you, I'd still help."

"I've had a hard life Hope. You don't need to get pulled into that. I don't want to do that to you."

"Lightning please." He reached over and grabbed her hands. "I-I can handle whatever you throw at me. I promise. I'll always be here for you. I know we just met and it hasn't been that long but, for some reason, I just can't get you out of my mind."

Lightning lowered her eyes and looked to the side. "I don't know Hope."

"At least think about it."

The girl made a small hum then sat up. She stretched her arms up and got out of bed. She walked slowly, running her hands through her hair as she made her way to the bathroom for her morning shower. Hope sighed and rubbed his face. Looking at the clock which now read 10:15, he decided to get dressed. He sat up and left his bed, walking over to his dresser. Looking in the drawers he sighed, noticing that the laundry needed to be done.

For now though, a white button up and black pants would do. When he finished getting dressed and made himself a cup of tea, Noel was up. Thankfully, he didn't look as bad as he normally did after parties. Perhaps it was because he had to stop drinking because he passed out. Hope sipped his hot tea as he watched the boy waking up. His head was under a pillow, the blankets sprawled out over his bed and his brown hair a mess. He emerged from under the pillow and squinted his eyes at Hope.

"Morning." Hope said, laughing softly.

"Mm.." He said as he sat all the way up, rubbing his eyes.

"Feeling okay?"

He nodded and looked at the clock. "Yeah I feel fine. Where's Light?"

"Shower."

Noel yawned and pushed the blankets off him. "I'm starving. Can we go get breakfast?"

"Yeah. Let's wait and see if Light wants to go."

The brunette walked over to his dresser, taking off his night clothes and putting on a green tee and dark brown shorts. He ran his hands through his hair and finished getting ready. When Lightning walked out of the bathroom, she was already dressed. Apparently she had grabbed clothes without Hope looking. She was wearing red yoga pants and a brown tank top. A part of her dark pink rose tattoo was showing underneath the top. Hope tilted his head some then moved his eyes away from her, trying not to stare.

"Wanna go to breakfast?" Noel said, looking at the girl.

"Yeah sure."

It was only a couple minutes before they were all ready to go. They left the dorm and began walking to the cafeteria. Hope had the urge to hold that soft hand of Lightning's as he watched her walk. He shook his head and put his hand on his forehead. They reached the cafeteria and started to get their food. After they got their breakfast, they sat down at the closest table.

When they started eating, Noel sighed. Hope looked at him and noticed he was looking at something in the room. He turned to see what he was looking at and saw quickly. A girl with pink hair in a side pony tail was walking bouncily over to them. Next to her was the blonde 'hero'. The two reached the table and the pink haired girl giggled.

"Happy birthday Light!"

Lightning looked up at the girl and Snow. "Serah. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in class."

"Relax sis. She's not missing anything important. I made sure of it." Snow said as he rubbed Serah's shoulder.

"It's your birthday?" Hope said, looking at his pink haired roommate.

She put her hand on her forehead and sighed. "Yeah. It is."

Serah smiled and put her hands together, holding them close to her chest and let her pink ponytail fall over her shoulder. "And you have a present waiting for you back in your room."

"Also, we made dinner reservations for the three of us tonight."

Both Noel and Hope looked at each other. "What about Hope and Noel?" Lightning said as the boys looked back at the other three.

"Ah.. shit. I'm used to it being just us three." Snow said, scratching his head and looking down.

"It's okay. You two have known Lightning longer than we have."

His roommate turned and looked at him. "Hope.."

"Really Light. It's fine." He smiled.

"Yeah, we can celebrate when you get back." The brunette said smiling.

She nodded her head and smiled softly. Serah smiled brightly and looked at Snow. The blonde wished her happy birthday and then the two were off. Lightning continued to eat her breakfast along with the two boys.

"Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" Noel said as he finished off his pancake.

She shrugged. "It's not a big deal to me. Just another year. My sister's the one who really cares about it." Lightning picked at her food then put her trash on her plate, declaring that she was done.

"Well now I feel bad since I didn't get you anything." Hope said, finishing off his apple.

"I second that. You gotta tell us these things now that we're roommates." The brunette laughed softly and ran his hand through his hair.

"Yeah well now you know. My birthday's in December. The winter month." She sighed. "Guess that suits me anyway." The girl mumbled under her breath

Noel gathered their trash and went away to throw it in the garbage. He came back and asked if they were ready to go back. They nodded and walked out of the cafeteria and back to their room. When they returned, there was a large box waiting on the table. Lightning walked in and over to the box, flipping over the tag and reading it.

_Dear Lightning, _

_It was so hard to find you a gift this year. _

_Snow wasn't any help so it was all up to me. _

_I hope you like it! _

_Love, _

_Serah_

Hope walked over and sat on the bed, watching the pink haired girl. She pulled the top off the long box and pushed back the wrapping paper. Inside was a uniform of some sort. Hope leaned forward and tried to see what it was exactly.

"So what is it?" Noel said as he grabbed a coke out of the mini fridge.

"Its an army uniform.." She reached down and picked up the outfit and held it up in the air. "Guardian Corps.." Lightnings eyes went over ever bit of the clothing.

"Guardian Corps? You were working for them?" The brunette said, taking a sip of his drink.

"I was part of the Bodhum Security Regiment. But this.. is a new uniform. It looks like mine but.. mine had cuts and tears."

"Serah must have gotten a new one that looks just like your own."

The silver haired boy smiled to himself. Lightning's eyes were sparkling. Even if Hope was a couple feet away, he could see it. She was passionate about her previous job. She had mentioned it during one of their late night talks. Everything about the job she took seriously. Now however, she seemed to be reunited with her loving job.

Being at college, none of the students saw much of the Guardian Corps or PSICOM. They were all stationed on the outside of the campus, only allowing students in or out that had student ID's.

"Maybe Serah's telling you to go back to your job." Noel walked over and sat at his desk, turning his chair to face them.

"No. That's not going to happen." She took the hanger with the uniform on it and walked over to the closet. Opening it, she hung the clothing up, looking at it one more time before closing the door. "I have to go out for a bit. I probably wont be back until after dinner."

Hope frowned slightly. "Light.. don't get yourself into trouble."

"I won't."

She grabbed her pink bag and walked out. Noel sighed and swung around in his chair. "What now?"

"We could go play soccer."

Noel nodded and set down his coke, changing out of his flip flops into sneakers. The two walked out of the dorm and headed to the soccer field. Despite it being December, the city of Palumpolum never got very cold. They could go around in shorts and no shirts during the day and normally pants and a hoodie during the night.

They ran on to the soccer field and started kicking around the soccer ball. Even though Hope was just beginning to play soccer, he was already almost up to where Noel is. The silver haired boy was a fast learner. He was good at everything he did. Though he did tend to practice to extremes in order to achieve his best.

The two boys played soccer until it was almost dark out. They laid down on the grass, both looking up at the sky in their sweaty selves. A cool shiver ran up Hopes body. His shirtless chest was covered in goosebumps.

"Hey, lets go back. We need showers and by then Light should be back."

Noel nodded and grabbed their items before leaving the field. Hope ran his hand through his sweaty hair and scrunched his face up. He hated being dirty and sweaty. A shower was always needed to make sure he was the cleanest he could be. As they were walking he began to think of the night before. He still was mad that he couldn't remember anything. If what Lightning said was true, which he hoped it was, then he wished he could remember more than anything.

A part of him felt guilty for having the feelings, but the other part couldn't help it. It was true, he really cared about the pink haired girl. There was just something about her that made his mind always on her. She was so addicting, practically like nicotine. The longer you go without it, the more you want it.

When they passed by the small store next to their dorm building, Hope stopped. "Hey, I'm gonna go in here real quick. I'll meet you back at the dorm." He walked away from his roommate without waiting for a response.

The small store didn't have much. It was sort of a gift shop but it was hard to tell what it actually was. The boy walked through the aisles and scanned the shelves. He stopped when he saw the jewelry section. _'But she already has a necklace..'_ Then he spotted a pink rose naval bar. Hope smiled and laughed. _'What a coincidence.'_ The boy grabbed the small box with the piece of jewelry and headed to the checkout.

Hope smiled brightly and walked back to the dorm. When he went to open the door, he heard Lightning and Noel's voice. He quickly put the small box in his pocket then stepped inside. The two roommates were watching a movie on the small tv.

"Hey. What are you guys watching?" The silver haired boy said as he sat down next to the girl.

Noel laughed. "We don't know."

"So how was your dinner?" Hope whispered to Lightning.

She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the screen. "Okay I guess."

The boy then remembered that he desperately needed a shower. "I'm gonna get a shower. Then I have a surprise for you."

This time, Lightning looked at him, her mouth open slightly. Hope smiled at her and got up, walking into the bathroom. He took a long shower, washing his hair twice and his body with his best soap. When he got out, he noticed that Noel was missing and Lightning was still watching tv. Hope smiled and grabbed the small jewelry box off the bathroom counter and walked over to her.

He reached down and placed the box in her hand. "Surprise." He sat down next to her and smiled.

She opened her hand and examined the box. "Hope.. you didn't have to."

"I know, but I thought you'd like it."

Lightning opened the box and took out the jewelry, holding up in the light. She held the metal in her hand as she took out her plain naval jewelry and replaced it with the rose one. Hope watched her and smiled.

"Thanks."

The silver haired boy nodded and looked down at it on her. "It looks good." He smiled then looked around the room. "Where'd Noel go?"

She stretched her legs out in front of her, rubbing her thighs as she turned and looked at him. "Another party."

'_He'll be gone for a while..' _Hope also stretched his legs out. He leaned back on his elbows and looked at the girl. The boy wanted to kiss her badly. He bit his lip and watched her run her hands through her hair. She looked over at him and smiled softly. Hope leaned in some and continued to look at him. He kissed her softly. Her lips kissed back. The silver haired boy pulled away some, opening his eyes and looking into her aqua ones.

"Happy Birthday Light.

* * *

_**A/N: So i've decided to include some extra chapters in between the main story chapters. They'll be about things that were mentioned in the chapter before but not really focused on. I'll add them where I see fit. **_

_**The next chapter will be an extra about Lightning's birthday Dinner with Snow and Serah!  
**_


	6. Extra I: Lightning's Birthday Dinner

**A/N: This chapter is from Lightning's point of view. It begins at when she leaves the dorm on her birthday until Hope returns later that day.**

**WARNINGS: This chapter contains: Alcohol and drug references and language.  
**

* * *

Lightning walked out of the room with her pink bag over her shoulder. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and opened it. She checked her messages and the time, then headed off outside. The girl walked through the courtyard and over to a remote side of the campus. By the time she walked around the building, she saw someone waiting over to the side. The pink haired girl walked over to him slowly, gripping her bag.

"Finally." The boy said.

"What do you want?" Lightning said, crossing her arms.

"My usual of course." His deep voice echoed through her head.

She reached in her bag and pulled out a plastic bag full of smaller plastic bags. The purple haired boy smirked as he watched her pull out the items. Lightning held the bag in her hand and looked at him.

"Money first."

"You should know me better than that, Farron."

Despite what he was saying, he pulled out a folded stack of money out of his pocket. He handed it to the girl. Lightning inspected the stack and made sure it was all there. Once she was sure that all the money was present, she handed him the bag. He smirked and put the bag in his pocket.

"What would your little friend say if he saw you still doing this?" The boy reached over and grabbed her chin, pulling it up to look at him.

"Get off Caius." Lightning smacked his arm away. "He doesn't and won't know about this."

The purples haired boy laughed. "Do you really think he won't notice when you don't come back for hours? Or that you carry that bag around and come back with money? I expected more of you."

Lightning ground her teeth, trying her best not to lash out. "I told you. He's not going to know. I'm not going to let him find out. Are we done here?"

"There's something else I want from you."

She made a face of disgust. "What else?"

"I want sex."

'_Absolutely not.' _She shook her head and gripped her bag. "No."

"I'm willing to pay you."

He pulled out another large stack of folded money. She eyed it, noticing that there were several hundred bills just at the bottom. She bit her lip. _'I need that money.. but.' _The boy had a devilish smirk on his face. Almost like he knew she'd give in.

"I won't do it Caius."

"But don't you need the money? Your poor sister Serah won't get the treatment she needs."

"Knock it off! There's no way I'm going to sleep with you!"

The boy scoffed and put the money back in his pocket. "Suit yourself, Farron. You know where to find me if you change your mind."

The boy walked off away from her. His purple hair blew in the soft wind and the bandanna moved along with it. Lightning squinted her eyes, crossing her arms then walked in the other direction. While walking, she pulled out the large stack of money and counted it slowly. There was over a thousand in the stack. Lightning smiled softly. She knew that it would help her savings fund greatly.

Lightning continued to walk around the campus. She checked her phone, seeing that it was only 3. _'Maybe I'll go see Serah.' _ She walked in the direction of her sisters dorm room. It was a far walk, her dorm building was the farthest away from every thing. By the time she got there, it was already 3:30. Lightning prayed Snow wouldn't be there. She had had enough already that day and Snow being around never helped.

When she reached the dorm room, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It was about a minute before it opened and Serah's head popped out.

"Light? What are you doing here, dinner's not for another hour." The girl said, opening the door more.

"What I can't even come for a visit now? I don't have anything else to do, so I decided to come see you. You don't mind if I stay here until dinner right?"

Serah shook her head and smiled, opening the door all they way and letting Lightning walk in. Once she shut the door, she walked over to her sister who was standing in the middle of the room.

"Snow's out. He said he'd meet us at dinner." The younger girls pink ponytail swung in front of her shoulder as she sat down on the bed.

"Are you feeling okay lately? Not feeling sick or anything?" Lightning looked at her with a concerned face on, watching her every move.

"Light I'm fine." She giggled. "I'd tell you if I felt anything wrong, okay?"

The older girl hummed and sat on the bed next to her sister. Lightning hardly ever showed any kind of emotion other than a negative one. But around her sister, the more positive ones came out. Sure they had fights like every normal siblings, but Lightning always kept a special side of herself just for her sister. Since their parents were gone while Serah was still young, Lightning was forced to become the mothering figure of her little sister.

Now that her younger sibling had fallen ill, her mothering instinct was in full power. And as much as she hated to admit it, but Snow was the only other person she would trust to look after her sister. After all, he had been the whole time Lightning was away.

"Do you think I should tell Snow? I want to but, I'm just scared of what he'll say.." The younger girl folded her hands on her lap and looked down. "What if he doesn't love me anymore and leaves?"

"Listen." Lightning put her hand on her sisters shoulder. "I know Snow isn't my favorite person but I know he would never do that to you."

The girl looked up at her, her eyes watering with tears. Lightning smiled softly and hugged her sister tightly. Serah cried softly against her top. The older girl frowned and rubbed her back.

"Thank you." Serah choked out.

She sat up and wiped her eyes free of dripping tears. Her pink hair was pushed out of her face by Lightning. Once she calmed down and stopped crying, the younger one was laughing once again.

"We should get ready to meet Snow."

Lightning nodded and stood up. She watched as her sister redid her ponytail and put about a pound of lip gloss. Besides the occasional lip gloss, neither of the girls wore make up. If Lightning was going to a big party, she would sometimes put on mascara, but it was rare. Serah took out her phone when she was done getting ready.

"Snow said he'd be there in about ten minutes, so we should leave now."

The two girls left the dorm room, walking down the hallway. "Snow and I have a surprise for you."

"Really? What would that be?"

They walked outside and Serah laughed. "I can't tell you that silly. It would ruin the surprise!"

Lightning laughed softly and shook her head. "Right."

She watched the way her sister moved. Making sure nothing seemed out of place or wrong. It had only been a couple of weeks since she had been diagnosed. The cancer was only stage 1 but it didn't make either of them feel any better. But the way the cancer effects the bones, it could easily turn bad if she fell the wrong way or broke something. Serah had made a promise to Lightning that if anything at all felt wrong, that she would call her, no matter what time.

As they arrived at the restaurant, Serah ran up to Snow who was waiting outside and hugged him tightly. The school campus was quite large. It had a couple of restaurants, but this one was the best according to Hope and Noel. She looked up and around at the building. It looked elegant and expensive.

They all walked in together, waiting at the front and Snow checked their reservations. Once everything was good, they got to their table and sat down. Snow and Serah sat on one side of the booth and Lightning by herself on the other. They ordered their drinks; Lightning a margarita, Serah an iced tea, and Snow a coke.

"Having a drink this early Light?" Snow asked when the waiter left after dropping off their drinks.

"It's my birthday isn't it?" She said as she sipped her drink.

"Snow! Should we tell her now?"

Serah wrapped her arms around the blondes larger arm. Snow looked at the girl and smiled brightly at her. "Yeah."

Lightning raised her eyebrow and set her drink down, crossing her arms. "What is it?"

"I asked Serah to marry me."

The girls eyes squinted and looked at the blonde. "You what?"

"Snow and I are getting married. Isn't that great Light?"

She almost scoffed at the question. "You should already know how I feel about it."

Serah's face fell, her pony tail swung forward as she looked down at her lap. "Hey, Serah's happy, why can't you be happy, at least for her?" Snow swung his hand up and put it on the table.

In defense, Lightning slammed both her hands down on the table and looked at him. "I can't be happy, you know that you're not who I want Serah to be with!"

'_I can't believe this! They tell me they have a surprise and this is what I get!' _Lightning was furious. She knew only a few minutes ago she was telling Serah how Snow would always care about her, but she didn't want them to get married. Snow wasn't right for Serah. He was reckless. He was too confident and thought he could help everyone. Serah deserved better.

"Maybe you should tell him now Serah. You already dropped one bomb."

Snow looked over at the girl that was curled up next to him. "Lightning don't.." She said quietly, looking up at her some.

"Serah, what's she talking about?"

The girl looked up at her fiancee and frowned. Her lip quivered slightly and her eyes began to tear up as she looked in his eyes. "Snow.. I have.. cancer."

Lightning watched as the blonde's eyes widened and he grabbed the girl, hugging her tightly. "Oh Serah.." he said softly.

The two stayed like that until the waiter came back to get their order. After ordering their food, Lightning finished her drink, and continued to watch the two. When the food came, they separated. Though it was easy to tell that the two were holding hands under the table.

"I still love you. I still want to marry you. You know that right?"

"I know."

The rest of the dinner was rather quiet. Serah had tears running down her face several times during it. Lightning felt slightly bad for mentioning it. It not only made her night worse watching her sister cry, but she was sure that it made Serah's night worse too. When they were ready to pay the check, she spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Serah." She crossed her arms and looked up at her sister.

"It's okay.. I understand why you did what you did. And i'll get you to love Snow too." She smiled brightly and giggled softly.

"Hah." Lightning laughed softly and shook her head.

"Trust me sis." Snow did his signature pose, his hand up in a fist in the air. "I'll take care of Serah, no matter what."

"Yeah, well I'm still her guardian for now. Until I'm gone, you come second."

Before they left, Serah explained her condition to her fiancee. The two hugged more and the blonde promised to always be there for her no matter what. Lightning was almost sick of watching the two. People in love somewhat made her stomach sour. They left and at the door Lightning parted ways with the other two. She thanked them for the food then walked off in the direction of her dorm.

As she was walking, she thought about what Hope had told her earlier. His small speech seemed sincere and true. She believed every word of what he was saying. But she couldn't put all of her worries and things she has to deal with on to him. Not to mention she was scared. She had only had one other boyfriend in the past and it didn't work out like she had planned.

When she was 17, her boyfriend of a year beat her terribly. She was in the hospital for a week with several broken bones. It scarred her for life even more than all the previous events did. She had now been without both her parents, abused, and having to take care of her stubborn little sister. Now however, she had much more on her plate. And she didn't want to put Hope in danger.

But no matter how many negative things she could think of, she couldnt deny that she did find him attractive. The night before surely showed that. Her cheeks blushed slightly as she thought of it. He worked her expertly and it felt amazing, better than anything else.

Lightning shook her head as she reached the room. She knocked on the door and a couple seconds later Noel opened it.

"Hey. How was it?"

She sighed and walked in. "Worse than I expected." The girl set her bag down and went over to the mini fridge, pulling out a water. "My sister and Snow are getting married."

Noel made a gagging sound. "Who could ever marry that asshole?" he said as he sat down in front of the TV.

"Apparently my sister." She took a couple sips then set the bottle down on the counter. "I don't want her to marry him but as long as she's happy, I guess I have to let her be with him."

"Do you think he treats her right?" Noel looked back at the girl.

"He... yeah. I know he treats her good. Probably too good." She sighed and walked over to him, sitting down next to her roommate. "I guess that's why I'm worried. He's always trying to be the hero. Who knows, he might get himself killed because of it." She furrowed her brows. "Enough talk about them though."

"Right. Well I was just about to watch a movie. Wanna join me?"

Lightning nodded. "Where's Hope?"

The boy shrugged and turned on the TV. "He went into some store on our way back, so he should be here soon." He began scrolling through the guide, trying to find a movie.

"Just pick a channel and see what the movie is."

Noel did as she said and put on a random channel. He laughed and tilted his head when the movie showed up on the screen. It was surely an international film. They spoke a language that he couldn't make out.

"This seems interesting." The brunette said and began watching the screen.

The pink haired girl looked around the room, trying to keep her mind off the dinner she had just experienced. After about a minute of searching the room aimlessly with her aqua eyes, Hope walked in.

A small smile curled her lips up as she looked at him.

* * *

**A/N: So this is the first Extra chapter! I'm thinking most or if not all of the extra chapters will be in Lightnings POV. **

_**NOTE ABOUT THE CURRENCY: I know that the official currency of FF is gil, but i've decided that for this story it's going to be a sort of money like gil, except in dollar form. Just for understanding while reading!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**WARNINGS: This chapter contains; language, alcohol use, and sexual content. **_

* * *

Before long, it was almost Christmas. The date was the 22nd of December and the classes were done for the semester. Most of the students had gone home for the break. But Noel, Hope, and Lightning remained in their dorms. The pink haired girl had invited them to come to her home in Bodhum. Noel first rejected the invitation when he learned that Serah and Snow would also be joining them. After a promise that Snow wouldn't be staying in the house with them and that Lightning would make sure he didn't bug the brunette, he agreed.

They were now waiting for Serah and Snow at the parking lot. It would be the first time the pink haired sister would be at home for Christmas together for years. Hope helped Noel put the suitcases in the back of Lightnings car as the couple arrived.

"Hey! Ready to go?" Serah said cheerfully as she reached her friends.

"Ah, yeah. All good to go here." Noel said as he shut the trunk of the car and put his hands on his hips.

"Good. Looks like we'll see you guys in a couple of hours." The blonde grabbed Serah's hand and let her to his own car.

"Alright. Lets go."

Lightning got into the drivers seat and started the car. Hope sat in the passengers seat and Noel in the back seat. They backed out and started their six hour drive to the sea side city of Bodhum. Hope had been rather happy the last two weeks. The classes stopped then and it allowed all three of them to have more time together. Much to Hope's dismay, there had been no more drunk make out sessions with his crush.

Occasionally, they shared a kiss or two, but it was normally at bed when they said goodnight. Hope had mentioned several times that he still wanted to be with the pink haired girl. The answer was always the same, she didn't know. Hope didn't care how long it took, he was more than determined to make Lightning Farron his own.

The holiday was the perfect opportunity to do so. Lightning had told them that Serah would stay at the NORA house with Snow and would come visit during their free time. Hope would stay with Lightning in her room and with that being said, Noel agreed to take the couch downstairs. The pink haired girl had rolled her eyes and said nothing was going to happen.

Hope planned to make a move one night when Noel had fallen asleep. He was fully prepared to have a romantic Christmas gift once he got away to a shop in Bodhum. Noel even agreed to help think of gifts that would be good. He was nervous but excited at the same time. Perhaps once he had his romantic night with his crush, she would finally say yes to being his girlfriend.

About three hours into the trip, Lightning began to get somewhat sleepy. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Hey, want me to drive for a bit?" Noel said, poking his head up between the front seats.

"Yeah that'd be great."

She pulled over to a rest stop and got out. They all used the bathroom then returned to the car. Lightning crawled into the back seat and sighed softly. Normally she wouldn't be that tired. She was an ex-solider after all, she was used to the long hours, but for some reason she was just oddly tired. Hope watched the girl get comfortable. He decided to sit in the back with her. Any opportunity to get close to Lightning, Hope was willing to take.

Hope crawled in the back next to her. The small middle seat was still separating them, but he decided not to push it and stay where he was. Noel began driving and they were once again on their way to the Farron residence. The silver haired boy looked over at his roommate. Her eyes were closed and her face relaxed. Her pink hair was up in a ponytail and her bangs still hung over her face.

He blushed as he watched her crack her eyes open and look at him. "What?"

His blush darkened. "You look really beautiful."

"You tell me that everyday Hope." She said, closing her eyes again.

Instead of staying where she was, she unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to the middle spot, buckling up again after. She leaned her head on Hope's shoulder and sighed softly. Hope wrapped an arm around her and placed it on her side. He smelled her very familiar scent that was purely Lightning. Her body was warm and felt wonderful against his own. Hope closed his own eyes, trying to fall asleep as well.

The silver haired boy woke up a few hours later. He went to stretch, then remembered he was currently cuddled up with Lightning. He looked at her and smiled softly. Her head was still on his shoulder, her pink hair gently tickling his neck as she breathed. Her leg was across his lap, her foot resting against the door. Her left hand was resting against the top of his pants, gently gripping at the bottom of his shirt.

"Good, you're up. We'll be there in about half an hour." Noel said, looking back at him in the mirror.

"Mm, that soon?" Hope rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Guess I must have been asleep for a while."

He looked over again at the girl. She looked still fast asleep. He didn't want to wake her, but felt obligated considering they were arriving at her house. Hope gently shook her shoulder and leaned to her ear.

"Light. Time to wake up." He whispered in her ear.

She hummed softly and moved a bit before raising her head and looks up at him. "We're almost there." Hope said, smiling.

She yawned and moved off him, stretching her arms up. Her ponytail was loosened and she let her hair fall, pushing it to the side as she normally did. The black v-neck had become somewhat disheveled during her sleep. Her black lace bra was showing from the top and Hope bit his lip as he noticed. Lightning quickly fixed herself and crossed her right leg over her left, and looked out the window.

"Welcome to Bodhum." She said as the city came into view.

Hope looked out his window and smiled. It seemed almost the same since he visited with his mom years ago. The same crystal clear water. The same oddly shaped buildings and the same tall palm trees. It brought back memories of the fireworks he saw that night with his mother. It had been beautiful, probably the best fireworks of all time. His smiled got even wider as he looked around more. Bodhum was truly beautiful and he couldn't wait to spend Christmas there.

When they arrived in the neighborhood that Lightning lived in, she began giving directions to Noel as he drove. All the houses were either circular shaped or peanut shaped. It was quite odd for Hope. His house looked nothing like these.

Noel pulled into the driveway and smiled. "This city's amazing."

"Oh right, this is your first time here isn't it?" Hope said as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Yeah, first time out of the big city."

The brunette shut off the car and got out. Lightning got out as well and got the keys from her roommate. She opened the trunk and pulled out the suitcases. Hope got out and got his luggage, looking around the house. He followed both Noel and Lightning as they began walking up to the front door. He waited patiently as the pink haired girl unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Hope looked around the home in awe. It was as beautiful as the rest of the city. Lightning was obviously very certain that everything was clean and neat.

"Mind if I just store my stuff in the living room?" Noel asked as he leaned against the black luggage.

"Go ahead. There's a closet in there if you want to put your clothes or anything." The brunette nodded and headed off into the living room. Hope watched him then turned to Lightning as she began talking to him. "Follow me."

He nodded and rolled his suitcase as he followed her. They went up a small set of stairs then she opened the only door at the top. Hope watched her as she opened the door, pushing it open and revealing her bedroom. It was what he would have expected. She had a large round bed with black silk looking sheets. Her walls were a tan color, making it seem bright. there was a black couch on the other side across from her bed.

"You can set your things over there for now. You can unpack later." She pointed to the couch and Hope nodded.

He rolled his suitcase on the soft carpet over to the couch. It looked rather comfy and he sat down. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the phone to check the time. It was almost 4 in the evening. He looked up at Lightning who was brushing her hair in the mirror. Hope wondered if he would have a little time to spend alone with her before either Noel came up or Serah and Snow arrived.

The silver haired boy stood up and walked towards the girl slowly. She was still trying to get her hair just right as he came up behind her, watching her eyes in the mirror. Hope could tell she was about to turn around but stopped her as he put his hands on her waist. A small blush tinted his cheeks because of his own actions.

Since that night at the party, Hope had been trying little things to get his confidence up. Knowing what he did that night made Lightning feel good, he was experimenting on what else would. It was all small ministrations and with each one it boosted his confidence. Now Lightning had turned around in his hands and was looking up at him.

"Hope.. Not-"

Her sentence was interrupted by his lips on hers. His hand snaked up and held her cheek gently. Every time they kissed it was like the first time. Hope was always taken back by how soft her lips were. Lightning had such a hard personality it amazed him that every bit of her could be so soft. Her lips kissed him back softly, as if they felt the same to her.

Hope's hand made its way back to her hips to meet the other one. He slid his hands back, wrapping them around her waist and held her close. Lightning slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed a little harder. The silver haired boy removed his lips from hers and placed them on her jaw. He kissed his way down to her pulse point. Lightnings lips parted slightly and she closed her eyes.

He bit down gently, loving the taste of her skin. She moaned ever so softly and tilted her head to the side. All of the sudden she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him some.

"Serah's here." She said, panting softly.

Sure enough, when Hope pulled back he heard a car door being shut. He looked at the girl in front of him. She still had her hands on his shoulders and her cheeks were pink. The boy loosened his arms around her and let go as he heard the doorbell ring. Lightning slowly removed herself from him and walked out of her bedroom to go let her sister in.

Hope sighed and brushed his bangs out of his face before joining the girl. As he stepped off the last step he heard Serah's cheerful voice. He walked out to the living room where they had gathered.

"Snow said he's got some things to do at NORA house so it's just me for dinner."

He looked over at the kitchen table and saw the plastic bags.

"What did you bring?" Lightning asked, crossing her arms.

"Sushi" the girl giggled and smiled brightly.

They all sat at the kitchen table, chopsticks in hand, picking out from the array of different sushi. Serah and Lightning were sitting next to each other and across was Noel and Hope. They all had smilies on their faces as they told stories to each other. About half way through, Lightning left to go to the bathroom.

"So Hope, Noel tells me you have a thing for my sister." The girl rested her hands on her chin and her elbows were propped up on the table.

"Ah.. sort of." He blushed and looked at her.

"Been trying to get at her since the first week she was with us." Noel laughed and leaned back in the chair, putting his hands behind his head.

"Hey, you wanted to sleep with her the first time you saw her."

Serah gasped softly. "Noel!"

"What?" He shrugged and leaned forward again, taking a California Roll and popping it in his mouth. "I can't help it. She's pretty hot."

The pink haired girl huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Well anyway, Hope, don't give up on her. If she really wasn't interested, you would know right away. She's stubborn when it comes to relationships, just give her some time."

"Right. Thanks Serah." Hope smiled and continued to eat his food.

By the time dinner was over, it was around 6. They normally didn't take too long but most of the dinner was spent talking. Serah said goodbye because Snow wanted to take her to the beach to watch the sunset. They all hugged her and waved goodbye. That left the three roommates alone in the kitchen. Lightning began cleaning up the trash and dishes.

"Hey, is it okay if I get a shower?" Noel asked, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, bathroom's down the hall and to the right." The pink haired girl said as she threw away the empty bags.

"Thanks."

Noel walked off in that direction and Hope stood up. "Need some help?"

"That'd be great."

Hope collected the dishes and walked over to the sink. He turned it on and began washing the many bowls and plates. It didn't take him long after Lightning joined him. They worked together and got them done rather quickly.

"Want a drink?" She asked as she dried her hands off.

"Sure. What do you have?"

The girl walked over to the fridge and opened it. "Mostly girly drinks."

He laughed softly. "How about a beer?"

She nodded and pulled out two cans. One of them she handed to Hope and the other she opened for herself. Hope sat down again in the chair and took a sip. He watched Lightning as she took a rather large gulp and leaned against the counter.

They both looked over as Noel walked back into the room. "I think I'm gonna go out. See the city and stuff."

"There's a few clubs by the boardwalk, if you're interested." Lightning said, taking another sip of her beer.

"Shit, sweet! Thanks. I've got my phone so call if you need anything."

He waved then headed out the door. Lately Noel had been obsessed with partying. He was gone almost every night, all night. Luckily though, he had cut down on the drinking, relieving Hope because he didn't have to take care of him every morning. Though Noel did come home high most of the time. But even Hope had to admit that it was better than being drunk and puking his guts out.

Hope finished his beer and leaned back in his chair. He then remembered that he still had to get Lightning a Christmas gift. He had no idea what he would get her. There were so many things he though of, but none seemed good enough for her. He already got her jewelry, so he didn't want to get her anything like that. Serah had already gotten her what seemed like the best present for her birthday.

"What's wrong?"

He looked up and noticed that she was standing in front of him. "Nothing. Just thinking about what to get you for Christmas."

"You know you don't have to get me anything." She had gotten a new beer out of the fridge and was sipping it slowly.

"Yeah, but I want to." He frowned and sighed softly.

He lifted his head up when he felt a hand grab his own. "Come on, I wanna show you something."

Hope followed her as she held his hand, pulling him over to a small corridor. There was a door at the end and she opened it, revealing a deck like space.

"One of the things Bodhum's famous for is the sunset."

The silver haired boy looked at the sky. It was a bright orange and dark red at the horizon. The sun was setting far out on the water, reflecting its brightness against the ripples of the waves. It was anything short of beautiful. Hope continued to hold Lightning's hand as they watched the sun slowly go down.

"Hope."

He looked over at the girl. Her eyes sparkled in the small bit of light that was left. Her lips were shiny and her face was soft. The atmosphere made the boy feel even more obliged to make a move. He turned and faced her, letting go of her hand. He kissed her softly, barely touching her lips. He then pulled back, looking at her in her eyes. She looked back into his blue-green ones. Hope looked over as the sun set and grabbed the girls hand again.

Hope pulled her gently back inside. Once he shut the door, he began walking her up the stairs towards her bedroom. She seemed to get the idea and turned the lights off to the hallway as she passed. Hope reached the door and opened it. Lightning let go of his hand then shut the door. The silver haired boy walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. The position was the exact same as earlier.

This time though, Lightning kissed the younger boy. The kiss was harder and more passionate. It took Hope by surprise considering the girl had denied any heated times like this. He wondered why she finally gave in now. His thoughts were stopped as she grabbed on to his shirt, pulling him down to kiss her better.

"Light.. why..are you acting like this all of the sudden?" Hope whispered against her lips in between kisses.

"Shut up. It's not the time to ask questions." She whispered back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Hope did what he was told and simply kissed her harder. He licked her bottom lip, asking for his tongue to have access. She opened her mouth and allowed their tongues to touch. This was all the more pleasurable to Hope, knowing he would remember it tomorrow. The silver haired boy grabbed the back of Lightnings legs, pulling her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Hope carried her over to the bed, never once breaking the kiss.

He laid her down gently and she unwrapped her legs, lying them down flat on her bed. Hope pulled away from the kiss and looked down at the girl. No matter how many times he saw her, she always took his breath away. Hope kissed her hard again, his hands resting on her arms. She eagerly kissed back, tugging at the boys yellow shirt. Hope pulled back and took his shirt off quickly, tossing it on the ground.

While he was taking his own off, Lighting sat up, pulling off her black v-neck, discarding it along with the boys shirt. Hope repositioned and leaned back against the many pillows. He grabbed the pink haired girls waist and pulls her on top of his lap. She gasped softly then wrapped her legs around his waist. Lightning let her hands roam along the boys chest, tickling him softly as her fingers brushed against his nipples.

Hope let out a small gasp as her hands made their way down to his shorts. He watched her quickly unbuckle his belt and undid his pants. Before she could continue however, he pulled down her shorts and threw them off. She had on a bright red lace thong. It matched with her black lace bra that she still had on. While Hope worked on unbuttoning her the said bra, a phone started ringing.

"You've got to be kidding me." Lightning said as the phone continued to ring.

"Want me to see who it is?" The pink haired girl nodded and climbed off his lap. Hope reached over and picked up the cell phone. "Caius?"

Lightning took the phone out of the boys hand. "Shit." She opened her phone. "Hello?" She looked at Hope then got up, walking over and going into her bathroom.

Hope frowned and ran his hand through his hair. Then he furrowed his brow and closed his eyes. _'Why does this always happen? We always get close.. but something always interrupts us.'_ He stood up and pulled off his shorts, assuming they would simply go to bed after she came back out. It was a couple minutes before the pink haired girl emerged from the bathroom. She had her phone gripped in her hand as she walked back over to the bed.

"Everything okay?" Hope asked as the girl climbed back on the bed.

She nodded then crawled back onto her roommates lap. "Now where were we?"

Hope felt a surge go through his body as she said the words. It made him happy that maybe they could actually have an intimate moment together without being interrupted. He kissed her softly and pulled her closer on his lap. She seemed more tense than before.

"Light, relax." He ran his hands up her back, unhooking her bra.

"I am." Her voice was somewhat harsh and cold.

Hope sighed and loosened his hands that were on her sides. "No you're not. There's obviously something wrong." He rubbed her sides and looked into her eyes. "Is something wrong with Serah?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Then a question popped into his mind. "Who's Caius?"

He took note of her body tensing up and how she averted her eyes. "He's no one Hope." She climbed off him and sat next to him. Her arms were crossed over her chest, covering her breasts. "He's just someone from school."

It hit him then. He knew Lightning didn't have any true friends that would get her number besides himself, Noel, her sister and Snow. There could only be one other person that would have her phone number for important things. _'She's still dealing drugs.'_

"Lightning. He's who your selling drugs to isn't he?"

She looked over at him, her eyes somewhat wide. "Hope.. I.."

"I thought you said you weren't going to do that anymore? I told you i'd help you get the money."

Her face dropped and her arms loosened from their position against her chest. "I can't stop."

"What do you mean you ca-" Hope was beginning to get angry, but Lightning looked over at him with her piercing eyes, interrupting his sentence.

"He knows everything about me. Where I live, here and at the dorm. My schedule, who my sister is, who you and Noel are. He knows everything. I stop with him, he'll fucking kill me."

Hope's eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat. "What did he want from you when he called?"

"What do you think he wants? I told him I wasn't at school and he got angry." She looked away from the boy and closed her eyes. "He's going to find me Hope. If he doesn't find me first, he'll find my friends first. He'll do anything to get to me."

The boy felt like crying. How could someone do such a thing? Hope had never heard of or even seen a boy that would resemble someone who would be capable of doing this. Now the thought of him coming to Bodhum to track Lightning down, made it all the more terrifying. The fact that he knows who he, Hope Estheim was, was even more worrisome. Who knows what he would do to get to her. By the sounds of it, it would be anything.

"Lightning." Hope grabbed the girls hand gently. "I'll do anything to protect you."

"I can protect myself, but I will need your help."

The two remained cuddled together on the bed until they both became tired. Part of the boy was upset that they didn't get to finish their session. The other part was happy they stopped. The new information made Hope want Lightning even more, to protect her and be able to do anything for her.

He was going to stop Caius from getting to Lightning. All three of them were going to stop him. The pink haired girl agreed, somewhat unsurely, to let Snow keep an eye on Serah why they were busy looking out for each other. Now that the blonde knew of his fiancee's illness, he was all the more protective.

But all the new information and threats weren't going to ruin the whole point of them coming to Bodhum. Hope was going to make sure Christmas was wonderful for all of them.


	8. Chapter 8

_**WARNINGS: This chapter contains; language, alcohol use, and heavy sexual content (aka lemony goodness)**_

* * *

"Noel this is horrible! I have no idea what to get her."

The two friends had been at the mall for at least two hours trying to find a Christmas gift for Lightning. Needless to say, it wasn't going well. Noel had already gotten the pink haired girl a weed bowl for his present. Hope didn't particularly like the idea of it, but he knew that the girl would gladly accept the gift. A couple things peeked his interest but none of them seemed right.

As they passed a bright pink store, Noel stopped, grabbing onto the silver haired boys arm and smirking. "I know the perfect gift."

Hope looked up at the store. His cheeks blushed red and he bit his lip. "I don't know."

Before Noel said anything else, he was already dragging the boy into the store. "Oh come on. You like Lightning right?"

He nodded, looking around at the array of girlish lingerie that was hanging up.

"Then this will be perfect. Get something sexy, leave her a note to wear it Christmas eve and then bam. You can make her yours."

The boy bit his lip. _'That would be a good way.. and she would look amazing..'_ Hope looked around. There was tons of pink, frilly, girly lingerie, but he didn't want that. He wanted something that would be sexy, but would fit Lightning's personality. Black was the color that came to mind. It was sexy but not extremely girly; perfect for Lightning.

Hope walked over to the black section. Thankfully everything was color coordinated, making it ten times easier for him. Right away, he saw the one he wanted. It was a form fitting black lace piece. It had see through material on the sides and a lace middle. There was a silver jewel in the middle of the see through lace bra area. It was amazing. Hope could just imagine how the pink haired girl would look in it.

He grabbed a small and took it off the rack. The piece had a garter belt, making him want to get matching lacy black stockings to go with it. Luckily, it was just as easy to find them as it was the lingerie.

"Oh damn that's sexy." Hope turned around to see the brunette standing behind him. "Good job Hope." He patted the silver haired boy on the shoulder, making Hope blush slightly.

"I hope she likes it."

"Who wouldn't like it? That thing's pure sex."

"Do you think I should get anything else? I want it to be really romantic."

'_Maybe then she'll finally say yes.' _Hope knew that to anyone else, wanting to sleep with someone after only one month of knowing each other seemed incredibly fast. But it was an overwhelming desire that he couldn't contain any longer. He knew the girl felt the same way, even though she would never admit it. He could tell. The way she looked at him when she thought he couldn't see her. The way she would always be cuddled up closely next to him when he woke up. The only thing left was actually getting to be able to do it without getting interrupted.

"Some candles definitely. Rose pedals are always a plus." Noel said, putting his hands on his hips. "That should be good."

"Since when did you become the romantic expert?" Hope smiled and laughed as he walked around the store, in search for the items that were mentioned.

In fifteen minutes they had checked out and were on their way home. Hope was very pleased with his purchase and couldn't wait until the next day to set his plan up. Thankfully it was already ten at night, meaning less time to wait. They had gotten Serah to take Lightning out for dinner to let them go out and get their presents.

When they walked into the house, they noticed it was dark, only a couple candles flickering in the rooms. Noel went into the living room, plopping down on the couch and sighing.

"I'm beat."

Hope walked in after him. "It's only 11. How are you going to stay up for me tomorrow?" He leaned against the wall.

"Don't worry, couple beers, I'll be fine." The boy winked and laughed.

"Alright." He pulled out his phone and flipped it open. There wasn't any messages, he sighed in relief, knowing nothing had gone wrong at dinner. "I'm going to go see if Light's upstairs."

The boy walked up the small set of stairs, gripping the pink bag. He secretly hoped Lightning was asleep so he could sneak in without her being suspicious. He opened the door slowly, peeking his head in slightly. The lights were on and the flip flops that Lightning had worn were sitting next to the bed. He walked in, setting the bag down next to the door and looked around. He saw the bathroom light on and he smirked.

Lightning always got a shower before she went to bed. He walked over to the bathroom door and put his hand on the door knob. Slowly, he pushed open the door. The bright light pierced his eyes he squinted. After letting his eyes adjust, he looked around the room. Sure enough, the pink haired girl was in the shower.

Hope smirked slightly and walked over to the shower. She had her back turned to him. He could see every part of her back perfectly. _'Thank god for glass showers.'_ He thought as he moved closer. The pink haired girl gasped softly as she dropped the shampoo bottle, barely missing her foot. It slide behind her and she turned around, bending down and picking it up. When she stood all the way up, she looked in front of her and noticed the boy standing there.

"Hope!" She almost screamed and dropped the bottle again. Her hands tried to cover up her body. "W-What are you doing in here? I thought you were out with Noel?" Her whole face was bright red.

Hope blushed himself, seeing how embarrassed she was. "I got back early.."

"You scared the shit out of me."

The boy could see that she was shaking slightly. "Light.. I-I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to.." He didn't finish his sentence as he watched the girl turn off the shower.

"Hand me my towel please."

Hope nodded and walked over, grabbing the white towel off the counter and walking over to her. He took note of how she was still trying to cover herself up as he handed the towel to her. She quickly wrapped herself in it then stepped out of the glass shower. Hope sat down on the toilet, frowning. When the girl walked out of the bathroom, he stood up, following her.

"I really am sorry, Light."

She turned and looked at him. "I know.. you just really scared me. I thought you were.." She shook her head and walked over to her dresser. She pulled out a black thong and a light pink bra.

"Thought I was who?" Hope walked over closer to her.

"Caius.." She whispered.

Hope's mouth felt dry. He reached forward and put his hand on her back. She turned and looked up at him. He gave her the most apologetic look he could. Lightning moved closer, curling into his arms. Hope hugged her tightly, resting his head on hers. _'I feel so bad.'_ The boy felt a wet drop on his arm. He frowned.

"Light, are you crying?" He whispered.

She scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

Even though she denied it, Hope could tell that she was. Her voice was uneasy and he felt another wet drop land further down his arm. Instead of fighting with her, he simply held her close and waited for her to pull back. She quickly wiped her eyes and fixed her towel.

"You know you don't have to hide yourself from me."

The girl looked up at him as she grabbed her undergarments. "Right.."

She set her underwear and bra down on the bed and unwrapped the towel from around herself. She folded it perfectly and put it on the bed next to her things. Hope watched her pull her underwear on. The black was the perfect color against her skin. He was more than happy that he chose black for the lingerie. The silver haired boy walked over behind the girl. She was pulling up her bra and reached back to hook it when his hands stopped hers.

"I'll do it." The hook was easily done by his fingers. He smiled to himself.

"What's gotten into you?" The girl turned around and looked up at him. "You've been all over me ever opportunity you get."

"Sorry.." Blue-green eyes moved away from the aqua ones.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but.. why now?"

"I guess my feelings are getting stronger for you. Being here alone with you at night and like this." His eyes met back with the ones he had grown to love.

"I see." She looked at the time then sighed. "We should probably get to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow to get ready."

They were both asleep by one. Hope had changed out of his clothes into his boxers. Lightning was currently curled up besides the boy, her arm wrapped around his chest. Hope couldn't deny that he loved that. The way she felt when she laid so close to him. It was something he looked forward to every night. Even just being close to the pink haired girl made him indescribably happy. And the next night would be even better. He was finally going to convince her to be with him.

Hope was woken at eight in the morning by Lightning shaking his shoulder.

"Hope. Time to get up."

He opened his eyes and looked up at her. She was already showered and dressed, looking beautiful as always. Hope sat up, stretching his arms and legs.

"I'll meet you downstairs."

The boy nodded and pushed the blankets off him, getting up and rubbing his eyes. He walked over to his clothes. Hope got dressed quickly and did his normal morning routine. When he walked downstairs, Noel and Lightning were already decorating. They had put off decorating in order to unpack their things. Lightning admitted that she wouldn't have decorated anyway, but since Serah and Snow were coming over for Christmas dinner, she felt like it was needed.

He was delighted to find a cup of coffee on the kitchen table for him. The boy grabbed the mug and sipped it. It was the perfect temperature and everything. His insides smiled as he walked in to the living room, cupping the mug in his hands. The living room was completely turned into a Christmas story. There was a large tree off to the side, bright white lights were over the fireplace, and decorative candles sat on the table and mantel.

Hope was eager to help decorate. He hadn't decorated for a holiday since his mom died. Seeing all the Christmas items definitely put him in the holiday spirit. All three of them put the array of ornaments on the tree. There were a few of them that had pictures of Lightning and Serah as kids.

"Light you were adorable!" Noel said as he held the foam ornament that held her childhood picture.

"Give me that!" She snatched it out of his hands, blushing slightly.

Hope laughed along with the brunette and continued to decorate. By twelve, they had finished everything. It all looked lovely as Hope stood in the doorway, admiring their work. Now it was time for making cookies.

"Serah's favorite thing about Christmas is the cookies." Lightning smiled softly. "She's got such a sweet tooth."

Both Noel and Hope helped make the large amount of cookies. Hope wondered why Lightning was the one to make them all, considering she was the least in the spirit. Apparently, according to Serah, it was because she was the best at cooking. The silver haired boy was eager to find out if it was true or not. The thought of warm home baked cookies sounded wonderful to him.

At the end of it, the made four dozen cookies in all. The roommates themselves were covered in flour. Lightning's pink hair was messily tied up in a pony tail and her black shirt had white flour hand prints. The girl's smile had been present most of the day. It delighted Hope that his crush was in a positive mood. It made him even more confident for the night.

Hope and Noel's roommate had changed before their eyes. She was more pleasant looking, and her harsh tone was only present when she was tired. Hope loved it. He loved the fact that she was friendly with both Noel and him. He loved the fact that they all could sit down and have a conversation and end up laughing and smiling. It was an amazing transformation. Neither of them were sure of the cause, but they didn't want to question it.

"Most of these cookies go to Snow who gives them to the people at NORA house. I'm not sure why he can't make them himself then.."

Hope sat at the kitchen table, watching the pink haired girl place the many cookies into boxes according to flavor. She was just about to close the chocolate chip one when Hope stood up and walked over, snatching one out. The cookie was golden brown and smelled delicious. He took a small bite and smiled brightly.

"This is amazing. That's why you're doing the cooking." He hummed softly as the chocolate melted in his mouth. "Serah's right, you are a great cook."

Before he could take another bite, the girl grabbed the cookie out of his hand and took a bite herself. "Mm.. they are good."

She finished off the cookie then put the rest in the boxes. It was nearly dinner time when they were truly finished with all the preparing. Noel had done the honors of ordering them a pizza for dinner. Normally, Hope's diet would consist of all healthy food with a small desert at bed time. But he decided that a little pizza couldn't hurt him. Besides, the food was the best pizza he's ever had. The cheese was perfect, the sauce, the crust, the toppings, everything.

As it got later and later, Hope began mentally preparing himself for the events that would happen. Around eleven, he decided to put his plan into action.

"Light, I'm going to take my shower first. Is that okay?"

She nodded and the boy stood up. He looked at Noel who gave him a wink when Lightning wasn't looking. Hope walked out of the living room and walked up the stairs. His insides were tingling as he took a deep breath. This was what he wanted. It's what he hoped would work out. The boy opened the bedroom door and grabbed the pink bag from the side. Black lingerie was laid out on the bed in a perfect fashion. The candles and rose pedals stayed in the bag for the next part of the plan.

There on the bed laid the lingerie and a note in Hope's best cursive. The note instructed her to put the outfit on after the shower. He bit his lip and hoped the plan would work. The boy waited a few more minutes before returning downstairs to his two roommates.

"That was fast." Lightning said as she stood up.

Hope merely hummed and sat down where she had just gotten up. He watched her walk away and up the stairs.

"So what's your plan?" Noel whispered.

"I set the lingerie up on her bed, saying that she should put it on after her shower. In a minute or two I'll go back up there and set the candles and rose pedals up."

Noel grinned. "Man Hope, I didn't think you were capable of something like this."

The silver haired boy sighed. "I just hope it works out. I'd be so embarrassed if it didn't..." He played with the bottom of his shirt and frowned slightly.

"Hey, remember what Serah said? If she wasn't into you, you'd know by now."

Hope nodded then decided it was time to go up. The brunette wished him luck and to not be too loud. Hope could here him snickering as he walked up the stairs. When he opened the door, he was delighted to see that the lingerie wasn't sitting on the bed anymore. Biting his lip, he grabbed the pink bag again and took out the candles. He grabbed the lighter that the pink haired girl kept in the nightstand and light each candle. He spread them across the room, trying to make sure it would be light enough.

Next came the rose pedals. He spread the sheets so that they were perfectly smooth with no wrinkles. The bag of pedals was dumped upside down and they gently floated down onto the bed. _'Maybe these are too much..'_ He didn't have time to second guess as he heard the water shut off. Hope spread the pedals all over the bed and walked over to the light switch. One last look at the room and he turned off the light. He walked over to the bed and laid sat down on the edge. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down.

The bathroom door opened and he watched in the light for the pink haired girl. She walked out slowly. Her body was covered with a silk black robe and her hair was slightly damp. She eyed him then walked out, shutting the light off. Hope watched her look around the room.

"What's all this?" She gripped the sides of her robe.

Hope stood up and moved over to her. "Light.. I.. want to sleep with you." He blushed and looked down at her.

"Is that why you got me this?" Her hands let go of the robe, letting it fall down and pull around her ankles.

Hope bit his lip and looked her up and down. It was perfect on her. Every bit of it fit just right. The stockings made it even better. He felt his insides heating up as he continued to look at his crush.

"You look so.. s-sexy."

Not another second passed before he pressed his lips hard against hers. His hands went to her waist and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with equal passion. The kiss was broken as Hope was pushed back on the bed, laying on his back. He watched as the girl climbed on the bed, crawling over to him on her knees. She looked beautiful and sexy in the dim light of the candles. Lightning straddled his waist and smirked slightly down at him.

Hope pulled off his shirt, never breaking eye contact with her. He sat up, tucking a finger under the shoulder straps and gently pulled them down. The pink haired girl pulled it down far enough to expose her breasts. He leaned forward and kissed her. His hands massaged her boobs, occasionally pinching her nipple, making her gasp. Things seemed to be moving at a faster pace than last time and neither of them seemed to mind.

The silver haired boy's fingers ran down her body, making her shiver on top of him. His fingers rubbed against the wetness that was collecting on her lingerie. Lightning moaned and gripped his arm a his fingers rubbed against her faster. Hope listened as her breathing turned into small panting and her hips began to move against his working fingers. Hope's hand was pushed away. He looked up at her and she unhooked her stockings from the garter belt and pulled the lingerie piece off completely. She tugged the stockings off, letting them join the black mass off the bed.

He took a moment and looked her over. Now was the first time he had ever seen her fully naked from the front. His cheeks blushed as his eyes went past her navel. She was completely shaved and her skin looked just as soft as the rest of her. Hope laid the girl down on her back. She looked up at him, her eyed hooded with desire. The boy rubbed his fingers against her again. Each time, flicking his thumb over her clit, making her moan in pleasure. Hope bit his lip, spreading the girls legs some as he slipped a finger in slowly.

"You're.. really wet." Hope felt his face heat up as he said the words.

Lightning twitched her hips and leaned her head back. "W-What do you expect?"

The boy began to thrust his finger slowly, pushing it deeper each time. He couldn't have been more nervous. Hope had no idea what he was doing. The talks with Noel had disappeared from his mind. Thankfully his crush seemed to be enjoying it. As her moans began to get louder, he slipped another finger in, twisting them up. His fingers began to become sticky from the wetness.

"Hope.." She whispered, letting out a gasp afterwards.

"Y-yeah?" He stopped moving his fingers and looked up at her.

"Pull them out." She sat up some, panting softly.

Hope frowned slightly and took them out. _'I must not be doing it right.. or it hurts..'_ But when she leaned forward, unbuttoning his pants, he thought otherwise. She quickly removed his pants, throwing them on the floor. The girl pushed him down on his back, much like he did to her. Hope's face heated up again as he watched her. She slipped her hand in his underwear. The boy gasped as her hand brushed over his painful erection. Unlike the bit of teasing he had done to her, she simply pulled the garment down and off him completely.

Blue-green eyes widened and his mouth opened to let out a moan as there was a soft kiss on the tip of his erection. It was the most amazing feeling. Those soft lips slowly lowered on to his member, bringing the moist heat along with it. Hope watched his pink haired crush as she began to bob her head. The pink curls tickled his stomach each time. He watched and felt the way her tongue darted out when her lip reached the tip, how she sucked harder as she went down further on him. It was a fascinating sight to him.

Lightning slowly removed her mouth from his member, making sure to swipe her tongue over the slit as she pulled away. Now both her and Hope's breathing was shallow. They both looked at each other, both of their cheeks tinted pink. It was then when the girl crawled on his lap. Her hips were raised and she grabbed Hope's erection that was still standing tall. He watched the girl as she lowered her hips, her vagina brushing up against his member. She let her hips fall slowly, lowering all the way on him.

Both of them moaned and threw their heads back. It was so warm and tight Hope thought he was going to pass out from the pleasure. Hope bucked his hips, trying to get more of the wonderful feeling.

"Hope.. stop." She sucked in sharply.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "D-Does it hurt?"

She nodded, placing her hands on his chest, clawing at it some. After about a minute, he put his hands on her hips. His fingers caressed her sides, trying all he could not to move. When Lightning finally raised her hips and let them fall again, she moaned loudly. Hope tightened his grip on her hips as she repeated the action. It wasn't long before the pink haired girl was bouncing fast on him. Hope watched as her breasts bounced in time with her. He sat up some, kissing her chest. She moaned loudly, almost too loud as the new position hit her sweet spot.

They both were in a melee of moans and whimpers as their moves became rapid. Hope began thrusting his own hips to meet hers as she slammed down on him. It wasn't long before he started to feel the familiar heat pool at the bottom of his stomach. He wrapped his arms around the pink haired girl. He could feel her shaking slightly. Her bounces were becoming even more rapid and rougher.

"Ah, Hope.. I-I..fuck.."

She didn't get to finish before Hope thrusted particularly hard. It pushed both of them to the edge. Hope felt the warm liquids from the pink haired girl over his member and his thighs and her loudest moan of the night. He felt the contractions as he came down from his high. The girl leaned her head on his shoulder, still shaking from her orgasm. Hope held her tight, rubbing her back as she was still feeling the effect of the overwhelming pleasure.

The two sat, Lightning cuddled in Hope's arm, as she continued to come down from her high. He kissed the top of her head when she took a deep breath.

"Light."

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Merry Christmas."

He smiled and kissed her softly. _'That all worked perfectly.. now the only thing left is to ask her..' _He let his crush climb off him, sitting next to him, crossing her legs. He looked over at her. The actions they just performed made him realize even more how much he wanted her. Now they shared something special, at least for him it was.

"Lightning." He waited to continue until she looked over at him. He then turned to face her. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

He watched her face become flushed. She looked at him for a minute then looked to the side. "I already told you.. I don't know."

"We just.. had sex, that had to mean something to you. I mean that was my first time.. probably not for you but.. it was something special Light."

She crossed her arms. "That was my first too." Her voice was quiet as she brushed her bangs out of her face.

"It made me realize how much I really do like you. Please. I promise, I'll make you happy. Whatever you want, whenever, I'll do anything. Please. Just.. give me a chance."

He didn't care that he sounded desperate, he _was_ desperate, for her. Lightning looked around the room, then at him. "Let me think about it. I'll tell you tomorrow."

That was enough of an answer for him that night. He was beginning to tire and he didn't want to argue with her. He watched as she crawled up to her side of the bed and snuggled in the sheets. Hope scratched his cheek then joined her. Once he was settled, the girl scooted over and rested her head on his shoulder. Hope kissed the pink haired girl's head. It was by far the best Christmas so far. He only hoped it stayed that way.

Just as he was falling asleep, he heard a phone vibrate somewhere in the room.

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**_A/N: Nothing like a good ol lemon huh? ;) I hope it was good enough and sweet enough! _**

**_Next chapter will be an extra.  
_**

**_Also thank you for everyone who has reviewed so far and almost 2,000 views! It all makes me write faster!  
_**


	9. Extra II: Christmas

_**WARNINGS: **_**This chapter contains: drug use, language, and slight sexual references.**

**NOTE: This chapter is in Lightning's POV.  
**

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Lightning opened her eyes slowly. It was still dark in her room, only a small amount of light coming from the window. She rubbed her forehead and looked over to the side. He roommate was still fast asleep. The girl sighed softly and sat up. A low groan came out of her mouth as she adjusted. There was a horrible pain from her waist and below. She pushed her bangs out of the way and shook her head. _'Must be from last night..'_

Her tanned cheeks blushed as she thought of the event that happened. She looked over at Hope. _'He's so determined to protect me..' _Hopes chest rose and fell as he took each breath. _'I can tell he really cares about me.' _The pink haired girl looked around the room. There were the rose pedals scattered on the edge of the bed and on the floor. Their clothing was in a heap on the side, and the candles had long burned out, leaving the melted wax dripping half way down the tan stalks.

She slipped out of the blankets, shivering as her naked body met the cool morning air. The girl grabbed her black robe off the ground and wrapped it around her body. She walked into the bathroom and sighed. After peeing, washing her face and brushing her teeth, she decided to slip downstairs before anyone else woke up and get coffee.

The downstairs was quiet as usual. The dim lights from the Christmas tree light up the corner of the living room. She noticed several presents under the tree. Some of which were her own, others looked like Noel's, judging by the wrapping. A small smile tugged on her lips as she walked into the kitchen. She mad herself a cup of coffee then sat down on the kitchen chairs. The time on the clock read 7:00.

'_Hope should be up soon.' _As she said the words in her head, she heard a small groan from the living room. Her eyebrow raised up and she stood, walking slowly over to the living room. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth when she saw her brunette roommate sitting up, running his hand through his hair.

"Merry Christmas."

Noel smiled at the comment and laughed softly. "Same to you." He grabbed his purple shirt from next to him and slipped it on. "What are you doing up so early?"

Lightning blushed slightly. The true reason was because she was still thinking about the night before and couldn't sleep anymore. Another part was the soreness between her legs. But she didn't tell him any of that.

"Need to take a shower and get some things ready before Serah and Snow come over." She sipped her coffee again.

"Right, Snow and Serah."

The pink haired girl could see the obvious discomfort on the brunettes face. "Don't worry, Serah will keep him straight. Especially today."

Noel nodded before getting up and heading to the bathroom. Lightning finished her drink then headed upstairs. She looked at Hope who was still asleep then walked into the bathroom. Turning on the water, she hoped that Hope wouldn't sneak up on her again. It was bad enough the other day, she didn't need it to happen again. She knew he didn't mean to scare her, but after the other day with Caius's phone call, she was a little more paranoid than normal.

Her body had chills as she stepped into the warm shower. She squinted her face as she realized how sweaty and sticky her body was from the night before. It made her wonder how she slept being so dirty. The warm water flowed over her chest and neck, tinting it red from the heat. It felt wonderful. Her body turned towards the door as there was a knock.

"Light?"

She sighed as it wasn't a voice to be scared of. "Yeah?"

"Can I come in?"

She nodded then said yes. Her eyes watched the door open slowly, revealing her silver haired roommate, shuffling in, rubbing his eyes. He shut the door before walking over to her shower. He was still naked and just how he was when they went to bed.

"Mind if I get in with you? It'll save time."

Her first instinct was to scoff and scold him for asking such a question. But then she remembered that the two had already shared a very intimate moment and that there wasn't any real reason to reject it. So she nodded and scooted over as the boy stepped in. Lightning was almost positive that she was as curious about him as he was about her. She was constantly watching him, trying to figure out if he truly cared for her, or if it was simply out of pity.

"How are you feeling? I-I wasn't too rough or anything last night?"

She watched his cheeks turn red as he looked at her. Her mind laughed softly at his childish embarrassment. "A little sore but that's expected."

The silver haired boy nodded and stepped under the water, shivering much like his roommate had done. She looked over him carefully. His body wasn't too muscular, but just enough for her. In fact, he had the perfect body for her. She shook her head and grabbed the shampoo, pouring some in her hand then scrubbing it in her pink hair. Lightning always made sure she was as clean as she could be. Her hair was washed twice along with a conditioner.

"Here, I'll help."

Hope gently took the soap from her and rubbed it on her back. He got ever inch of her back and shoulders, giving her the delighted feeling as his hands rubbed against her back. It was nice to have someone wash the parts she found most difficult. Finding that his actions were much appreciated, she returned the favor for him, though it was slightly harder because he was a bit taller than herself.

The two got out of the shower and got dressed in silence. Lightning could tell what was on the boy's mind. The same thing was on hers. But she decided it would be better to discuss the matter after the day was over. She glanced at the clock; 8:04. Knowing Serah, she would probably be over bright and early.

"Light.." Hope's voice was soft.

"After everyone leaves." She looked at him and watched him nod. "Let's go downstairs. My sister should be here soon."

When they got downstairs, Noel was sitting in the kitchen, sipping a coke. Lightning walked over and pulled out the boxes of cookies from the cupboard. She set them all on the table and opened each one, letting the smell circulate the room.

"Serah's here." Hope said, as he walked over to them. "Just saw her pull in."

Lightning nodded and walked over to the front door, opening it and watching the two people getting out of the car. The pink haired girl skipped over to her and smiled, leaving the blonde to carry the rather large box of presents.

"Merry Christmas Lightning!" The girl giggled and hugged her tightly.

Lightning smiled softly and wrapped her arms around her sister. "You too, Serah."

The girl smiled brightly, pulling away, making her ponytail swing back and forth. She skipped into the house and greeted the other two members of the household. Lightning crossed her arms as she watched Snow heave the box up the stairs.

"Hey sis. Beautiful day for Christmas huh?"

Her eyes squinted at his comment. "Yeah. Listen. Behave today. I don't want any outbreaks between Noel and you. You're not going to wreck my family's holiday."

Snow's face had a hurt look on it. "Light, I'm not trying to ruin anything. I don't have a problem with anyone." The blonde looked down, sighing. "Serah, she fell yesterday.."

Lightning's eyes widened, her mouth opening slightly, ready to say something before he continued.

"I took her to the doctors and they said everything was fine, but since the bone possibly could be bruised.. it might break easily."

The pink haired girls face softened some, she looked to the side. "Thanks for taking her."

"Light, you know I'd do anything for Serah. I love her more than anything. I would never let something bad happen to her."

Snow wasn't her favorite person, but it was hard to admit that he didn't care for her sister. It was obvious that he did and her negative behavior towards him was starting to effect her.

"I know."

Christmas was possibly Serah's favorite time of year. She was so happy and joyful, even now, knowing of her illness. Lightning watched quietly from the couch as her sister opened the presents addressed to her. Even when she was first diagnosed, she tried to cheer Lightning up more than anything. Serah was an amazing person all around

Hope sat down next to her, putting his arm on the back of the couch, hovering over her. She looked over at the boy, who returned the look with a small smile. Her eyes looked away from the silver haired boy as a small box was placed in her lap. She looked up from the legs she saw standing in front of her.

"Merry Christmas." Noel said, putting his hands on his hips and grinning. "Go ahead, open it. I think you'll like it."

She nodded and began unwrapping the paper. Her hands tugged at the box, easily breaking it open and pushing apart the tissue paper. The small colorful bowl laid at the bottom. A smirk tugged at her lips as she took it out, examining it in the light.

"Sweet."

"We can try it out later hm?" Noel leaned down, whispering and grinning.

Lightning nodded and set the box next to her on the couch. She leaned back and gasped as she felt an arm wrapped around her back. She looked over and saw Hope smiling again, blushing slightly. The pink haired girl bit her lip slightly and scooted over a slight amount. _'He really is trying..' _

After dinner, Serah agreed to take the remaining cookies over to NORA house, since she hadn't given her gifts out there yet. That left Lightning, Snow, Hope, and Noel, not an ideal combination for Lightning however.

"Hey, try your bowl out. I got some weed in my bag." The brunette said, standing up from his spot of the floor.

"Woah, you got a bowl? Let me see." Lightning reached next to her and pulled the object out, handing it to the blonde. "Ah, awesome. Let me try too?"

Noel got the round started. He handed it to Lightning, who graciously took the first hit. A grin appeared on her mouth as she blew several smoke rings out of her delicate lips. Noel laughed and took the bowl as she handed it to him. She watched him perform the same actions, holding his breath longer then passing it to an eager Snow. Lightning looked at Hope out of the corner of her eyes. The corner of her mouth raised up.

She grabbed the bowl back from Snow as he finished. "Hope. Want to try something?"

His eyes widened slightly. "N-No.. I don't smoke." He shook his hand.

"I think you'll like this." She took a long drag then grabbed his chin, kissing him. She let all the smoke into his mouth as they continued to kiss. When she pulled away a bit, the boy coughed slightly.

Despite his coughing, he looked at her again. "Again.." His voice was shaky.

Lightning grinned and repeated the action. The kiss lasted longer than before and the silver haired boy didn't cough that time, his cheeks simply blushed as he noticed everyone was watching.

"Hey hey, don't hog it all." Noel grabbed the bowl back, taking a drag then passing it to the blonde.

It wasn't long before they were all rather high, with the exception of Hope, who had only had what Lightning transferred into his mouth. Lightning was enjoying the calm friendliness atmosphere, especially towards Noel and Snow. Currently, the pink haired girl was sitting on Hope's lap, leaning her back against his chest and holding his hand. She normally wouldn't be in such position in front of people, it wasn't in her nature to show any type of PDA, but her state of mind was not normal.

Around ten, her phone started vibrating in her pocket, making Hope gasp as it vibrated. She stood up and laughed, walking into the kitchen. When she was far enough, she took her phone out of her back pocket and read the name. Her eyes widened some and she opened it.

"I'm busy." She said quietly.

"Do I seem like the one to care? I want you back at the campus. I need my things."

"I already told you. I'm not coming back for a while."

"I know where you live, Claire."

Her eyes widened and she ground her teeth. "Don't fucking call me that." With the sound of her real name, her mental state seemed to return to normal.

"Then I will be expecting you back here tomorrow."

"No."

"I won't hesitate to come to your house, Farron. You should be fully aware of that. We had a deal. You provide me what I need, when I need it, and I provide you with what you need. You're not going to break that deal are you?"

Her hand gripped at the counter, looking around the room, making sure none of the boys were in the room. "Caius, it's Christmas. I'll have someone bring them to you. I'm not going to meet you. Forget it."

She heard a low chuckle from the other side. "Suit yourself."

Lightning slammed the phone shut. _'Fuck. What am I going to do?' _Her hands were in fists as she leaned on the counter. Her eyes stared straight at the reflective surface. Pink hair was slightly messy from leaning on Hope, her cheeks were tinted light pink from the sudden heat she felt.

"Light?"

The girl turned around to look at the boy who was calling her name. "Yeah?"

"I'm gonna get going." Snow scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks for a good Christmas. Hopefully it won't be our last together."

Lightning nodded and looked at the floor, straightening up. "Snow, look after Serah, make sure everything's always okay."

He nodded and smiled softly. She watched as he walked out of the kitchen and outside. Her hand ran through her soft pink hair. When the hand was falling, Hope walked in. She turned to look at him. He smiled at her and walked towards her, wrapping his hands around her waist and kissed her softly. She kissed back gently, trying to control the raging emotions that were running though her body.

"Hey.. do you want to go up stairs?"

She nodded and looked up at him. He grabbed her hand and walked with her to the living room to say goodnight to the brunette, who simply laughed and continued to watch the TV. The to walked up the stairs and into her room. Hope closed the door slowly and quietly.

"You still sore?" He walked over to her, kissing the top of her forehead.

"Yeah.. Listen, Hope, about what you said last night.."

She could almost feel the boys heart skip a beat. _'Here it goes..'_ The girl took a small breath and turned in his arms, looking into his eyes.

"I do want to be with you, actually be in a relationship with you. But.. Caius.. and Serah.. I don't-"

"Lightning. I already told you. I don't care about that. I don't like you because of your looks, I like you because of who you are, problems and everything."

Her eyes felt watery, on the verge of spilling over and dripping tears onto her cheeks. All the pressure and troubles were getting to her. Lightning had only truly cried twice in her life; once when her mother died, and the other at Serah's diagnosis. She didn't want to cry in front of Hope, not at all. But she felt herself being pushed over the edge by his speech to her.

Hope noticed her on the verge of crying and grabbed her hand, leading her over to the bed. She sat down and waited for him to sit next to her before she leaned over, hugging the boy tightly, her arm wrapped around his neck and his around her back. A wet tear ran down her cheek as she felt herself let go. She made small sobs on the boys shoulder. He didn't say anything to her, just held her tight, rubbing her back gently and kissing her forehead. Lightning was gasping softly as she began to stop crying.

When she looked up at Hope, he smiled softly and wiped the tears from under her eyes. She was sure she looked unattractive and weak.

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, okay? I promise. Boyfriend or not."

Despite her upset state, she managed to smile softly. "G-Give me some more time." He nodded and kissed her forehead.

Lightning was tired as she calmed down and the drugs began to wear off. The two roommates snuggled under the blankets and fell asleep rather quickly. Her body pressed against Hope's and their hands intertwined.

Her peaceful sleep was disturbed as she heard a loud bang from downstairs. She sat up quickly, looking at the digital clock that read 8:42 then sat up. Before she had time to get awake, her bedroom door swung open. Her heart skipped a beat as she anticipated what was happening.

Her eyes squinted. "Snow?"

"Serah.." His voice as shaky and full of panic. "She's.. missing."

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_**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and positive feedback! **_


	10. Chapter 10

**WARNINGS: This chapter contains; language and implied violence**

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Hope woke up from his sleep at the sound of Snow's booming voice. He rubbed his eyes before looking up at the scene in front of him. The blonde was standing in the doorway, his cheeks were tinted pink and his breath was short, as if he had been running. Lightning was at her dresser, quickly throwing on clothes.

"What's going on?" Hope said, seeing the two people in obvious distress.

The pink haired girl looked at him. "Serah's missing.

The boy was now also in a distressed state. He pushed the sheets off, standing up and looking at Snow. "What do you mean she's missing?"

"She's fucking gone! Her phones off, she never came home last night, and none of NORA knows where she is."

"Let's go."

Lightning grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the bedroom. While they passed the living room, Snow yanked Noel out of his sleep and pulled him along too. He was in his boxers and his hair was a mess.

"What the fuck? Let me go you asshole!" The brunette pushed on the larger boy's arm, not even making him budge.

"You're coming with us."

"Why?"

Hope turned to his roommate and nodded. "Serah's missing.."

The boy saw his roommate's face drop. Since they arrived at the Farron home, both Hope and Noel had become better friends with Serah. Though Noel had a stronger connection to her, they were instantly friends. Hope could see the hurt and sadness in his eyes, even if he didn't truly know what was going on. They followed the older friends out the door and to Lightning's car. Hope and Lightning slid in the back of her car. Snow looked at them confused.

"Snow, drive."

The blonde nodded and sat in the driver's seat, while the brunette sat in the passenger seat. Hope looked over at his crush and saw her dialing a number on her phone. He slowly reached over, grabbing her hand. The boy was delighted she didn't pull away or protest. The girl was obviously upset and concerned, they all were. Hope felt the need to give her some support, even if he was feeling the same she was.

"Where the fuck is my sister?" Her voice was piercing sharp. "I'm not playing games with you Caius, tell me where Serah is!"

Hope could hear the low chuckle from his side of the car. It was scary, even to Hope. Then a thought struck him.

"Lightning! What does he look like?" He tugged on the girls arm.

She held the phone with both her hands and glared at him. "That's not important right now!"

"Does he have purple hair?"

Her eyes widened and looked at Snow as he asked the question. "Yeah, why does it fucking matter?"

"I know where he is."

Lightning shut her phone, with a loud slap. "Go."

Snow slammed on the gas and drove out of the neighborhood. Hope held Lightning's hand tight as the blonde drove fast through the streets of Bodhum. He looked at the pink haired girl, seeing her fingers twitch and her eyes scanning the scenery. Noel was doing the same thing. 'I hope Serah's okay. M-Maybe she's not really missing.. perhaps she's just out shopping.' He knew it wasn't true, no matter how many times he repeated the sentence in his mind, he still didn't believe it.

Both the two in the back lunged forward as the breaks on the car we're hit hard. Luckily, Hope had quickly put his arm up, prevented him from slamming into the seat in front of him. He looked over at Lightning, who was not so lucky. She had hit her lip on the seat and it began to bleed slightly.

"Shit." She reached down to the pink bag that Hope had just noticed and pulled out a small tissue, dabbing her lip.

"Yuj told me he saw some guy with purple hair talking to Serah last night. He said he went into this building."

Hope looked up at the large hotel building that was now in front of them. It was at least fifty stories high, if not more. He didn't expect such a powerful man to simply stay in a open place like this, if he even was staying there that is. Snow parked the car and they all stepped out. Lightning had ditched her tissue, leaving her lip still red and had her pink bag tightly in her hand. The boy watched as everyone began walking forward into the building. 'Do I really want to do this?' He practically smacked himself for thinking such a thing and quickly ran up to meet with the others.

"Is there a man staying here named Caius?" Noel said, putting his hands on the front desk.

"Give me one second.. I'll look it up for you." Surely to the receptionist, they must have looked like some crowd. "I'm sorry but there's no one checked in by that name."

"Well have you seen a man with purple hair?"

"I'm sorry sir.. we can't tell you that. It's hotel pol-"

Before she could finish, Snow grabbed the girl by her shirt and pulled her up to his eye level. "I don't care about your fucking policy. That man kidnapped my fiancee. So either you tell me where he is, or things will only get worse for you." His grip tightened.

"Snow.." Hope put his hand on the older mans shoulder. He understood that he was upset, but knowing the blonde, he wouldn't hesitate to hurt whoever got in his way to save Serah. Also knowing him, that would end him up in jail.

The girl quickly answered his question. "T-There is a man with purple hair on the top floor. Penthouse suit number one." Her voice was shaky and her face was filled with fear.

The four went to the elevator and got in. Hope watched Snow hit the number fifty button about ten times before he finally stopped. The silver haired boy turned away and looked at his crush. Her lip was still bleeding some. He frowned and moved towards her.

"You okay?" He whispered.

"Couldn't be better."

The sarcasm was floating in the space between them. She tapped her lip and looked at her fingers, her eyes squinting as she looked at the blood. Hope sighed and leaned against the elevator wall. He watched the number light up on the top. 35,36,37,38..  
It seemed to be taking forever. The boy looked around at the others in the elevator. Noel had his hands on his hips as usual. Snow's hands were curled into fists as he clenched them tightly, making a small squeak from his gloves. 43,44,45,46,47..

Finally the elevator made a ding and the doors opened. Snow bursted out, slamming his fists together as he walked. Hope stayed in the back, not sure what help he would truly give but was willing to do anything he was asked. While the door was insight, Lightning pushed the blonde out of the way.

"Let me go first. All of you, stay away from the door. Got it?"

"Sis, no way I'm staying out here."

"You're not staying out here. Just give me a minute. He'll open the door for me."

Hope bit his lip. 'If anything happened to Serah.. and if anything happens to any of us.. what are we going to do?' Him and the other two boys stood away from the door and out of sight. They watched from a corner as the pink haired girl knocked on the door. The sound of the door opening echoed through the hall. Hope held his breath as he watched the girl walk in, her pink bag held tight by her side.

"What now?" Noel whispered.

"Let's go." Snow hit his knuckles together and walked over to the door.

Both Noel and Hope followed after him. The door was still open slightly, giving them the clue that Lightning left it open for them. Snow smirked and clenched his knuckles before punching the door open. Hope followed in after the blonde and gasped at the sight before him. Lightning was kneeling at the ground, in front of the large couch that was in the room. On the couch, was Serah. Her normally bright pink hair was now a darker, grey shade and her eyes were almost closed.

"Serah!" Snow screamed and made his way to the couch, only being stopped half way by the purpled haired boy.

"And who might you be?" Caius held Snow by the neck, nearly choking him.

"Snow, Serah's fiancee!" Snow attempted to punch the man, who simply caught his fist with his free hand, making a low chuckle.

Hope quickly snuck past the two men and walked over to the two sisters. Lightning was holding Serah's hand tightly. The boy noticed the bruises and cuts along her arms. The arm that Lightning was closest too was swollen and almost one whole bruise.

"Let him go Caius!"

The silver haired boy heard Noel yelling. He didn't turn around to look at the scene behind him, he continued to look over Serah's discolored body.

"Lightning, go help Snow and Noel.. I'll make sure Serah's okay."

Lightning looked at him, her eyes watery with tears and stood up. He turned back to Serah and frowned, her eyes were closed, her lips were dry, and her body was cold. But she wasn't dead, just beat up badly. 'We need to get her out of here as soon as possible..' He could hear the chatter and yelling behind him, but none of it registered. He was determined to get the bruised girl out of the room and to a hospital. Without thinking, he pushed his arms under her body and lifted her up. She made a groaning noise and her eyes fluttered open.

He looked up and focused on the door, blurring everything else out. Hope ran to the door and opened it. He quickly looked at Lightning.

"Ill take her to where she needs to go."

With those words, he left the room. He hoped that the girl understood what he meant by that. He didn't want to mention hospital, in fear that Caius would follow him there. The silver haired boy quickly ran down the hallway, trying his best not to bump Serah, hurting her further. He made it to the elevator and took a breath, watching the girl in his arms carefully.

"Serah.. can you hear me?"

Her eyes opened slightly. "Hope.." Despite her current state and the obvious pain she was in, she managed to have a small smile on her lips.

"You're okay.. I'm taking you to the hospital. Everything's going to be fine okay?"

Her head nodded slightly. "Is everyone alright? Snow, Noel.. my sister?"

Hope nodded. "Yeah.. yeah they'll be fine." The boy grabbed her hand gently, holding it close.

"Thank you.."

The silver haired boy rushed out of the elevator when the doors opened. The people in the lobby all stared and gave him odd looks. The only thing on his mind though was finding a hospital. And probably the most convenient thing ever was that, well, there was a hospital across the street. 'God damn, what luck.' Looking both ways several times and dodging multiple cars, the two made it across the street.

Hope ran into the emergency room, running up to the first nurse he saw. He explained the situation with the girl who was limp in his arms and they got into a room. He watched as they put an IV into her arm that wasn't swollen. All sorts of questions were thrown at the boy as multiple nurses came in and he tried his best to answer the ones he could. Once the swarm of nurses was down to only one every couple minutes, he sat down on the chair.

His hands were shaky as he put them through his hair. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on back across the street but he hoped everyone was okay. Almost if on cue, he saw a sway of pink hair in the corner of his eyes. Hope turned and looked towards the color. In front of him was none other than Lightning. He noticed the redness on the side of her face and the small bruise that was beginning to form.

"Lightning.." Hope stood up and moved closer to her. "What happened? Where's Noel and Snow?"  
She ignored his question as she walked to the bed with her sister in it. Hope watched her as she put her hand on the girls. He walked next to her, putting his arm around her back and holding her close.

"She's going to be okay.."

She turned towards the silver haired boy, her eyes filled with sadness. Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward, hugging the boy tightly. Hope heard the girls shaky breath as she breathed against his neck. It was easy to tell that she was crying. Knowing how embarrassed his crush became when she was crying, he just held her tight and let her cry all she wanted.

"Snow and Noel.. they went back to NORA house to make sure nothing's missing. Their both fine." Hope loosened his arms around her as she pulled back some, quickly and discretely trying to wipe her eyes.

"What about Caius?" Hope pushed back the slightly damp bangs out of her eyes.

"I gave him the drugs and he told us he'd leave us alone. Snow and Noel fucked him up but.. he seemed fine."

The boy sighed. "Lightning.. you can't.. you can't keep selling him drugs. Things could end up like this next time, or even worse."

"I know."

Noel and Snow arrived at the hospital about an hour later. He watched the scene as the two lovers reunited, even if the pink haired girl was asleep. Snow had tears in his eyes as he saw his fiancee hooked up to multiple wires and bandages on her. The nurse came in in the middle of it all. She explained that Serah would have to stay over night and possibly longer. The injuries she had were not only bad, but with her illness, they could become worse, and quick.

"Lightning, take the others home. Ill keep an eye on Serah." Snow said as he pulled a chair up next to the bed.

The pink haired girl scoffed. "You're joking right? She's my sister. I'll stay if I want to."

"You have to take Noel and Hope home."

It was obvious that both of the older people were getting angry at each other. Hope frowned and played with his fingers, trying to keep quiet. He didn't want to come in between the two. They all knew Serah, but obviously Snow and Lightning had a much stronger connection to her.

"We'll walk home. You two stay with Serah." Noel said, putting his hands on his hips.  
Lightning nodded. "Ill call if anything happens."

The two boys walked out, both thinking about what all just happened. After a couple minutes of walking, Hope wanted to know about what really happened with Caius.

"Noel.. what happened after I left?"

He watched the boys face scrunch up and he ran his hand through his hair. "Well I was fully prepared to beat the shit out of him. But Lightning, after you left, she went in a room with him." He crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm not sure what happened but, she came out fine and he agreed to leave Serah alone."

Hope bit his lip and frowned. He knew that she sold him the drugs and thats what made him say what he did. He knew that even if he said he'd leave the girl alone, he would go back to her or someone else next time Lightning didn't give him the drugs. It seemed like it would never end, at least to him.

The rest of the walk home was silent, most the time they were trying to find their way back in the confusing city of Bodhum. Once they got inside the Farron household, they both sighed and went to the kitchen to eat. It was only two in the afternoon, despite the what seemed like long morning. After he finished eating a sandwich, his phone rang.

"Hello?" He said, swallowing his last bit of food.

"Hope.." Lightning's voice was soft, almost a whisper but not quite.

"Hey Light, what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Serah has to go to surgery. Her.. heart stopped. Theres a hole in her heart."

Hope's eyes widened and he stood up, walking upstairs into the bedroom. "But.. she only broke a couple bones, at least that's what the nurse told me earlier."

"Apparently not. Not only are her bones broken but, they can't heal and her cuts can't heal because she can't clot properly."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. They had only left the hospital an hour ago. How could things have gotten that bad in such a short time?

"Is she going to be okay after the surgery?"

"They say she will be."

"Call if anything else happens okay Light?"

"Yeah."

He smiled softly and then hung up the phone. He sighed to himself and sat down on the couch in the room. There was so much that happened during the break and there was still another two weeks left of it. Hopefully Serah would get better in time so they could all go back to school together. Hope knew that if Serah wasn't better, neither Snow nor Lightning would go back until she was better. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. 'Why did this happen? Why Serah? She did nothing wrong. She had nothing to do with any of this.'

Now that he began thinking about it, none of them had anything to do with Caius. The only person that had any connection to him, was Lightning. His phone vibrated and he opened it up.

"What's up Light?"

"Mr. Estheim."

His eyes widened and he gripped the phone.

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_**A/N: I know this chapter was a bit blank on what happened with Caius, so stay tuned cause next chapter is an extra!**_


	11. Extra III: Hero's Aren't Perfect

**WARNING: This chapter contains; Language, mild violence, and sexual references.**

**Note: This chapter is in Lightnings POV.  
**

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The purpled hair man stood in front of her. He had just shut the door to the bedroom and he had that trademark smirk on his face. She had just convinced him to talk with her privately, knowing the best way to solve this wasn't letting Snow and Noel beat the shit out of him. Lightning crossed her arms as the man continued to stare at her.

"Ill give you what you want. Just leave my sister alone." She didn't hold back on her harsh tone.

"I want my usual, and also.." He reached to her chin, pulling it up to him, looking in her eyes. "I want you.

Lightnings eyes widened then squinted, pushing the mans hand away. "I already told you no."

"Then your sister will not be safe."

"Why are you doing this Caius? Why can't you leave everyone else alone?" The pink haired girls insides were boiling. She clenched her hands into fists and glared at the purpled hair man in front of her.

"Because I can."

He pinned the girl against the wall, his hands gripping her wrists tightly and his hips pushed against her own. She tried to wiggle out of his hold. Her heart was racing, fearing what the man would do next. He let go of one wrist but quickly put it with the other, holding her two wrists up with one hand. Her chin was jerked up to face the man. Lightning could feel the multiple emotions running through her body.

"You think you're so tough. But Claire.." He ran the back of his hand over her cheek. "You're much more vulnerable than you realize."

Lightning wanted to hit him, bad. She wanted to tear his face off and cut him apart. But she knew it wouldn't help. It would only make things worse, much worse. Her teeth ground against each other as she was forced to look at the purple haired man in front of her. The sound of her real name echoed through her head. No one ever called her that, not even her own sister anymore.

"Let me go Caius."

He simply laughed and tighten his grip on her wrists, making a small noise come out of the girls mouth. "You're sister, Serah, she's going to die. If you were smart, you'd agree to everything I want. Other people won't get hurt that way. Isn't that what you want, Claire?"

Lightning's heart practically stopped. _'Serah can't die, she just can't.' _She felt her body become weak under his painful grip. The girls sister had looked very weak and almost dead like. _'B-But Hope's going to take care of her..' _Despite her mind trying to make up a positive side to what the man was saying, she knew that the likelihood of her sister making it out alive with her cancer was slim. The doctors told her that a simple fracture of a finger could be fatal.

"What's going to be?" He tightened his grip on her chin.

A million different thoughts went through her head. Serah had already gone through enough, and she surely didn't want anyone else to go through the obviously painful ordeal. Lightning wouldn't even wish that on Snow. But she knew who the man would go after next. Hope.

Her eyes looked up at him, trying not to water with the hatred and sorrow she felt. "I'll do it. But not now. In a couple days."

That devilish smirk appeared back on his lips. "I'll be waiting for you, my goddess."

Lightning nearly gagged at the name. She nearly killed him on the spot when he pressed his lips to hers. She didn't kiss back, disgusted at the fact that he was kissing her. Caius gripped her jaw so hard she thought it would surely break in his hand. Knowing what he wanted, she kissed back gently and his grip loosened. Once the kiss was finished, he pushed her against the wall hard before letting her go. Lightning gasped for breath, the force of her back hitting the wall caused the wind to get knocked out of her.

She caught her breath then walked out of the bedroom behind the man. She tried to look as calm as possible as she faced the two boys outside the door.

"Light, you okay?" Noel looked at her with a concerned look. She simply nodded, fearing to say anything.

"I will leave Serah alone. You do not have to worry about me touching her anymore." The girl watched the sigh of relief come from both of the boys in front of her.

"You better not fucking touch her anymore. I'll know if you do." Snow glared at him, while he punched his fists together.

"You have my word."

Lightning looked up and then walked over to her friends. "Let's go. We need to see if Serah's okay."

The boys both nodded and headed out the door. Lightning was right behind them before she was pulled back in the room. She swiveled around quickly and looked at the man who held her arm.

"I need my drugs."

She let out a relieved sigh and reached in her bag, pulling out the large bag she had gotten ready the last time they met. Her hand quickly pulled away as she handed him the plastic bag. Once he gave her a smirk, she left the room, hurrying after the two boy who waited for her at the elevator. She pushed the button, crossing her arms and waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"You sure you're okay?" Noel reached over and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine." The girl shrugged his hand off slightly. Noel quickly got the idea and removed his hand.

'_I can't believe this. All of this really is my fault.' _Lightning squinted her eyes and looked at the ground. She couldn't bare to look at the two boys anymore, knowing that they all are in danger because of her actions. They all were effected by Serah being hurt. She made a small huff of annoyance and closed her eyes. Lightning felt the elevator stop and she opened her eyes. She walked out slowly and headed towards the front door.

"Hey Light. We're gonna take care of something. Make sure Serah's okay."

"Right." The pink haired girl nodded and walked through the automatic doors.

Lightning, knowing the city by heart, quickly ran across the street. She ignored the beeping and honking of the cars as she carelessly ran across the many lanes of traffic. All that was on her mind was saving her sister. The pink haired girl ran into the hospital. The many nurses stopped and asked her questions but she ignored them, looking into every room she passed. Looking for that soft pink hair that was much like her own.

When she saw the pink hair out of the corner of her eyes, she stopped and turned towards it. _'Serah..'_ Her eyes turned to the boy standing next to the bed. She walked towards him, trying to be as quiet as possible. She watched her sister. The different wires hooked up to her, it made her heart break. _'How could I do this to you..' _

Lightning heard the boy talk to her, maybe ask her a question, but she wasn't sure. Her mind was full of the guilt and sadness that she caused. She finally answered the boys questions and then quickly forget her answers. There was no focusing on anything but her sister. How frail and sick she looked. It wasn't until Noel and Hope left that she finally came out of her trance.

Next to her was Snow. She had pulled up her own chair next to her sister. She watched the way she breathed every painful breath. The blonde's eyes were still dripping with tears.

"This is all my fault.."

Snow looked up at the girl. "What?"

"It's my fault Serah is like this." Her hands gripped at the white sheets.

"Sis.."

"I was trying to.. I was trying to save her! And look what i've done."

She felt a hand on her back, rubbing back and forth softly. "None of this is your fault Light."

"Yes it is!" She turned, smacking his hand off her back. "You don't understand do you? I put her in danger. I put all of you in danger!" Her head hung low as she thought of a way to tell the boy what she had done. "Caius.. he isn't just someone who kidnapped Serah. I've been.. selling him drugs, trying to get money to help her. To help Serah get better."

The girl took her sisters hand, gripping it tightly. She watched Snow stand up and walk over to the other side of the bed. "You tried to help Serah." The boy pushed the pink bangs of his fiancee out of the way. "Hero's aren't perfect. Even I couldn't protect her from this."

Lightnings eyes softened as she realized that Snow didn't highlight the wrongs she did. He took her mistakes and made them the good that she's done. The pink haired girl stood up and looked at him. He was still looking at her sister, his eyes sad. Lightning understood then. He wasn't the person she thought he was.

"She's going to be okay." Lightning said as she rubbed her sisters hand.

Her eyes returned to her sisters pale face. She watched as he eye lids fluttered open. Her blue eyes looked up at the ceiling, then over at Lightning.

"Serah!" Lightning gasped and smiled softly. "You're awake."

The pink haired girl heard Snow laughing in happiness and he knelt down next to the bed.

"Snow.. Light." Her voice was soft and breathy.

"Shh.. just relax okay? Everything's going to be fine." Lightning watched Snow lift up the girls hand, being conscious of her IV, and kissed her hand.

The nurse came back into the room a few minutes later. Both Lightning and Snow sat in their chairs and listened. Serah was now sitting up and responsive. The drugs must have kicked into her system, making her feel better. The nurse explained that she would be kept in the hospital overnight to fix her broken bones and possibly the next day for follow up tests to confirm her cancer wasn't overwhelming in her system.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I'm so sorry Serah." Lightning stood next to her sisters bed, looking down at her.

"You don't need to apologize sis." Her perfect smile was on her face. The smile that she could give no matter what the situation. "I feel great." She looked up at Lightning, her pink hair swinging as she turned her head.

Snow stood up and walked over to her. Putting his arm around Lightning as she crossed her arms. She watched her sister look at them both and laugh. "Since when did you two become such good friends." She giggled and covered her mouth with her hand.

"I wouldn't call us best friends." She shrugged his arm off her shoulder and looked at him. "But he's not as bad as I thought." Her hand curled into a fist and gently punched the blonde's side.

"Hey, were's Hope and Noel? I know Hope was here.. he was the one that brought me to the hospital."

"They went back to our house. I'm sure they'll be back later."

Serah nodded and smiled. Then Lightning watched her sister go into a gaze. Her smiled slowly left her face and her eyes became still.

"Serah?" Lightning's eyes scanned over her sisters current state.

Her stare was broken when Snow pushed her out of the way and caught the pink haired girl as she fell back into her bed. They both heard the high pitched beeping and looked up at the heart monitor.

"Serah!" Snow's voice filled the room.

Lightning ran out of the room and called one of the nurses. The two older people watched as the girl was given CPR. Lightning's face was in pure terror as they brought the paddles out and pressed them against the girls chest. They watched helplessly as the nurses worked to revive her heart. After what seemed like forever, they finally got her heart beating again. There was no time to ask what had happened before she was wheeled away for a multitude of tests as to why her heart suddenly stopped.

Both Lightning and Snow paced aimlessly around the small room. Both unsure what to do or what to say to each other. The pink haired girls head perked up when a nurse finally came back in the room.

"She's bleeding out of her heart. There's a small hole in one of her arteries. Right now, we're not sure why or what caused the hole but she's on her way to surgery to fix it as soon as possible."

Lightning's heart skipped a beat and her face fell. "She's going to be alright though?" She looked over at Snow after he finished his question.

"We think she will be. But what we're looking at know is not only her heart stopping and bleeding out, but she is unable to clot properly, which is not letting her broken bones and cuts heal and her heart may not stop bleeding. We're doing everything we can. I'll be back shortly to update you on her status."

She nodded and watched the nurse leave the room. Lightning looked over at Snow who had his head in his hands. "Im going to call Hope. I'll be right back."

He didn't respond when she stood up or when she left the room. Once she got outside, she leaned against the wall and sighed heavily. Her hand reached into her bag as her eyes fixed on the building in front of her.

"Hope.."

"Hey Light, What's up? Is everything okay?"

She tried to calm her emotions as she told him what happened. The whole time she was watching the top window of the hotel across the street. She had snuck a look out of the window when she was in the bedroom earlier. She knew you could see the position she was standing in perfectly. And she could see almost everything in the room as well. Her eyes slanted as she saw someone standing at the window.

"Call me if anything else happens okay Light?" Hope sounded worried.

"Yeah."

Lightning quickly hung up the phone and squinted her eyes more, trying to see into the room better. It was incredible how anyone could see up that high, but for some reason she could. The sky was clear and the glass was even clearer. Her eyes watched as she saw a very small dot of purple. Her eyes widened and realized that Caius was watching her. She growled then walked back into the hospital.

"Snow." The boy looked up at her, his eyes puffy and red from obvious crying. "I need to use your phone."

"Sure.. but what about your-"

"Just give me it okay?" She put her hand on her hip and held her hand out.

Once she got the cell phone in her hand, she opened it, running though the contacts and chose her own home phone. Her foot tapped as the phone rang loudly in her ear. After a couple rings however, someone picked up.

"Hello?" The voice said.

"Noel. Where's Hope?"

"He's uh up in the bedroom I think."

She sucked in her breath. "I need you to keep an eye on him until I call you again."

"What? Why? Hope's fine."

"Just do it. Do not let him out of your sight." She knew her voice was harsh and mean. "I'll call you back in a couple hours and you'll come to the hospital. Don't answer the phone unless you see this number come up. And don't let Hope answer the phone either."

"Is something going on Light?" She could almost picture him putting his hands on his hips.

"Just do what I said."

She hung up and handed the phone back to Snow. "What was that all about?"

Her eyes squinted as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Caius promised to leave Serah alone. But until he gets what he wants, he'll get everyone else."


	12. Chapter 12

**Warnings: This chapter contains; Language and mild violence. **

* * *

Hope sucked in his breath, trying not to sound the slight bit nervous. _'It sounds like him.. but this is Lightnings number right?' _Trying to be as quiet as he could, he pulled the phone back and watched the screen light up. He frowned when he realized it wasn't her number. The voice on the other end said something that he couldn't hear. Instead he heard Noel calling his voice. He quickly shut the phone and stood up. The brunette walked in the door a second later.

"What is it Noel?"

"Give me your phone." He held his hand out.

"Why?" The boy grabbed the phone and handed it to him.

"Light just called. She said not to let you answer the phone or go anywhere out of my sight."

The silver haired boy tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"

Noel shrugged and put the phone in his pocket. "Dunno. Light sounded pretty worried though." He sighed and shook his head, putting his hands on his hips. "I knew we should have done something to him.." He muttered. "Anyway, come on, lets go down stairs. We can watch TV or something."

Hope nodded and walked out of the room with his friend. He bit his lip as he walked down the stairs. _'I know that was Caius.. there's no mistaking it.' _The blue-green eyes scanned the living room. Luckily, Noel wasn't a messy person, the living room didn't look any different from Christmas. He sat down with the boy on the couch and sighed.

"Did she tell you about Serah?" Hope said, looking over at the brunette.

He shook his head. "No. Is everything okay?"

"No.. her heart stopped. She's in surgery now."

He watched Noel's eyes widen and his normal grin disappear. Hope's heart ached from seeing his friends sadness. Noel was hardly ever upset, but when he was, it was bad. The boy had become better friends with Serah and he could tell he was devastated.

"I-Is she going to be okay?" His voice was shaky, like he was on the verge of crying.

"I don't know." Noel put his head in his hands and rested his elbows on his knees. Hope reached his hand over and put it on his shoulder.

"Serah's strong. She'll make it through." His voice was soft and shaky.

Hope frowned and rubbed the boys shoulder. He wished he could tell him everything was going to be okay. But now with Serah being sick and Lightning wanting the brunette to keep Hope in his watch at all time, the likelihood of everything being fine was low. He looked towards the phone as it rang. Hope got up but he was stopped by a hand on his arm. The boy looked back.

"Let me get it."

Noel walked over to the phone and looked at the screen. After a couple rings he picked it up. "Hello?" Hope walked over to him, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Yeah, he's right here.. okay."

He hung up the phone and Hope gave him a confused look. "Who was that?"

"Come on, we've got to go to the hospital."

Before he could say anything more, the brunette was dragging him out of the house. He could only guess that the person on the phone was either Lightning or Snow. Either way, they knew something bad happened. Lightning had told the silver haired boy earlier that if anything else happened, she would call. But he also wondered why she didn't want him to answer the phone. _'Maybe she knows Caius called me.' _

It was only a short walk to the hospital, thankfully they remembered how to get there. When they walked into the room they had previously been in, Snow was laying down on the couch and Lightning was standing in the corner with her arms crossed.

"Everything okay?" Noel asked as they moved closer to the two.

Hope watched the pink haired girl swirl around and face them. Her eyes were somewhat red, indicating she had been crying. "We don't know yet."

The silver haired boy walked over to his crush and held her hand. He wasn't sure what to do. They were all sad. Even Noel put aside his hatred for Snow and went and sat next to him. The four of them sat together for hours. Waiting for Serah to come out of surgery. After about two hours, Lightning grabbed his hand and drug the silver haired boy out of the room and into the hall.

"Hey, what is it?" He said as she kept her hand firmly in his own.

"I need to tell you some things." The pink haired girl looked into his eyes. The aqua pierced into his blue-green.

Hope nodded and waited silently for her to continue. "You can't answer you're phone, and I want you to stick with someone at all times. Caius.. he's..."

"I know, he called me earlier."

Her eyes widened. "Why'd you pick up?" It was obvious that she was trying to be quiet, trying not to make a scene in the middle of the hospital.

"I didn't know it was him!" He whispered rather loudly. "It was right after you called.. and I thought it was you again."

"Fuck." She said, looking down and to the side. "Hope. I told everyone I'd keep them safe and that's what I'm going to do. But.." She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes.

"What is it?"

"I have to do something in order to do that."

"Lightning what are you-"

"I have to sleep with him Hope."

Hope's heart felt like it was about to burst into a million pieces. He couldn't believe his ears. _'Of course.. that's why she went into the room with him.. just like Noel said..' _He shook his head and frowned. _'I can't let her do this..' _His eyes met with hers as he looked up at the pink haired girl.

"You can't do it." He said quietly.

"Hope.. I have to. He's already after you because I told him to wait. If I don't do it.."

"Why can't you just stop with him?" Hope's voice was getting louder and he let go of the girls hand. "It's bad enough you're selling drugs to him, but now you're sleeping with him?" The boy backed away from the girl and looked down. "I don't want you to do this Light."

"Hope..."

He walked past her and back into the room before she could say anything else. Hope had a million different emotions running through his body. Anger, sadness, disappointment, guilt, probably every emotion possible. Hope ignored the stares he got from Noel and Snow and sat down in the chair across the room. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Before long, he fell asleep in the chair.

When he woke up, he gasped softly at the complete darkness that surrounded him. _'Shit..'_ He felt around with his hands and tilted his head, furrowing his brow. _'This is a bed.. why am I in a bed?' _The hands felt around more until the poked something soft and warm. His heart sped up and his body froze. _'Where they hell am I?' _He ran his hand over the warm patch. His eyes widened slightly as he realized it was a person. The silver haired boy gasped and moved over on the bed, away from the figure.

The person made a small groan. "Hope.. what are you doing?"

The silver haired boy sighed in relief when he recognized the voice. He reached over to the nightstand and turned on the light to reveal Lightning who was on her stomach and her face hidden behind her arm. She lifter her head up some and looked at the boy.

"S-Sorry.. I didn't know where I was." He felt his face heat up and he looked down. "How'd I get here anyway?"

Lightning sat up, pushing her bangs out of her face and turned to face the boy. "Noel carried you here."

"Did everything go okay with Serah's surgery?"

The girl nodded and crossed her legs. "Yeah, she's fine. They said she has to stay for about a week or two for recovery."

"Thats good.." Hope frowned, suddenly feeling guilty about the angry rage he had with the girl in front of him. "Light.. I'm sorry about earlier.."

"It's okay. You have every right to be mad. All of this is my fault. I should have.. I should have listened to you when you first told me to stop. Things weren't that bad then.."

Hope quickly leaned forward and kissed her. His hand rested on her cheek as he pulled his lips away only an inch. "I'm not mad at you." He whispered. "I just don't want to see you have to go through this, Light."

His eyes looked into her aqua ones. The pink haired girl was slowly breaking down. Hope could tell. Her emotions were showing more, her harsh personality was dissolving. He wondered if she could tell. It was hard watching her change so drastically. Part of him missed the old Lightning, the way her words were said, her arms would cross and her eyes would have a glint of unsureness. The other part liked who she was now, she was more willing to hold his hand in public, kiss him even. But that was Lightning Farron. No, the girl in front of him was someone different.

"Call me Claire." Her voice was soft against his lips as she looked into his own eyes.

That's who she was. Claire. Lightning was practically nonexistent. Serah getting sick and now in the hospital and Caius threatening to take everything she has, it broke her down. Hope felt the sadness and hurt that she did. She was scared. It didn't strike her until Serah was taken. Now there was no denying it. Caius can and will take everything she loves and break her completely.

"Claire.." His lips pressed gently against hers. _'Claire Farron..'_

The next two weeks passed quickly. Serah had recovered wonderfully. She was as happy as she ever was. Snow spent every waking second with her, treasuring every moment. Noel and Snow also got over their differences, Noel even apologized for treating him like an ass. Snow of course laughed it off and accepted his apology. As for Hope himself, he had been in Lightning's eye at all times. Nothing had happened since the phone call but neither of them wanted to take a chance. Caius would strike when least expect.

They were outside of the house, packing up their luggage, ready to go back to the campus for second semester classes. Things were almost back to normal. Hope and Lightning sat in the back of her car, Noel drove like last time. The trip seemed shorter than the ride down there, but none of them were honestly eager to go back to classes.

Once they were all settled back in the dorm, Noel, like always, retreated to a back to school party, leaving Lightning and Hope in the dorm alone. The silver haired boy walked out of the bathroom and looked at the girl that was sitting in their bed, looking out the window.

"When are you going to meet him?" Hope walked over to the bed, sitting next to her.

"Tomorrow." Here eyes were still locked on the window.

The silver haired boy reached over, grabbing her hand tight. "Just be careful okay?"

She looked over at him and nodded. "Make sure Noel's with you while I'm gone."

He nodded and stood up, slowly letting go of her hand. Her eyes followed his body as he turned to face her. "I'm going for a walk."

Lightning stood up and nodded. "I'm coming too."

"No. I'll be fine. I.. need some time to myself."

"Hope y-"

His lips pressed against hers, interrupting her sentence. "I'll be fine." The boy turned around and headed out the door, not looking back.

He knew it was dangerous to go out alone, but he needed some time to think. There had been a new feeling swirling around in his mind. He was confused by it and scared at the same time. But there was no mistaking what it was. The boy pushed open the doors to the campus grounds and walked outside. It was a rather chilly afternoon and it sent shivers up his body.

The boy tried to clear his mind. He walked aimlessly around the campus for he didn't know how long. It could have been only a few minutes for all he knew. While he was walking past the bookstore, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and opened it. Noel's name popped up in the message bar.

'_Hey, meet me at the end of the south campus.'_

Hope nodded to himself and put his phone away before starting to walk in that direction. The boy walked all the way to where he was supposed to be and looked around. _'Noel's not here? That's weird..' _He looked around more and put a hand on his hip.

"Hope Estheim."

The boy turned around in the direction his name was being called. Aqua blue eyes widened and he took a step back.

"Son of Bartholomew and Nora Estheim. Such a pleasure to meet you in person." The person's mouth twisted in to a grin.

"Where's Noel?" Hope said, staring at the purple haired man.

"Noel? Don't worry about him. He's safe and sound back at your dorm."

"Then what do you want from me, Caius?"

The man laughed and pushed his purple hair out of his face. "I want you to come with me. Your precious Lightning is holding out on her deal. Think of yourself as a little incentive for her."

Hope ground his teeth together. "No way Caius! I'm not doing anything for you." Hope's heart was racing, he was more than scared, he was terrified of what would happen.

"I'm afraid its not an option." Before he knew what was going on, he felt a sharp hit on his head and his world went black.

Hope groaned as his eyes fluttered open. The blue-green eyes scanned the room, unsure of the surroundings. He tried to reach his hand up to rub his eyes but noticed his arms were tied behind his back. The arms tugged at the rope several times but failed horribly. He then remembered what had happened. The room he was in was rather small. It had a bed in it, but that was about it. He stood up slowly, trying not to fall and looked around more. That's when he noticed a small window on the door.

The boy walked over to the window and looked outside. There was no one to be seen in the outer room. Hope sighed and walked over to the bed.

"Claire.."

His head quickly turned to the door as he heard a loud bang. Hope stood up, fearing that the purple haired man was coming for him. Instead, the door was broken down and out came the blonde haired boy, Snow.

"The hero's here to save the day!" The man looked over at Hope. "There you are. How about we get you out of here?" Snow winked and walked over to him.

"I don't think I've ever been happier to see you Snow." He said as the man untied the rope that was holding his hands together. "Where's everyone else? Is Lightning and Noel okay?"

"Never better. Let's not hang around for Caius to come back huh?"

"Right." Hope nodded and smiled.

He followed the older man out of the room and out the building completely. The blonde escorted him all the way to his dorm.

"Now listen." Snow said, putting a hand on the younger boys shoulder. "Light told me to tell you that she had to take care of something and that she'd be back in the afternoon. If she's not back by dinner time, you come and get me. Got it?"

"Got it." Hope said, nodding.

Ruffling the silver boy's hair, Snow smiled then said goodbye. As soon as the blonde was out of sight, Hope let his smiled drop. He knew what Lightning had to do. It killed him inside to know that she had to do such a thing just to stay alive. The silver haired boy opened his dorm door and stepped inside. The boy was expecting Noel to be lying on the floor or playing a game. Instead he found a note on the table.

_Hope, _

_I hope you get back here safe, I'm out with Serah for a bit. _

_Be back later._

_Noel_

The boy sighed as he finished reading the letter. He hoped that someone would be here. He couldn't help but feel like something had happened while he was kept at, where ever that was. Something didn't seem right to him. He had obviously been there over night, considering it was the next day. The pieces didn't add up for him. There was something missing.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember a single thing. He sighed and walked over to his bed, laying down and looking up at the ceiling. His eyes wandered to the clock; 12:34. Another sigh came from his mouth as he returned his gaze to the white, blank ceiling. The door to the room opened and he refused to look away from the plain ceiling.

"Glad to see Snow got you okay."

At the sound of Noel's voice, Hope turned his head and looked at the brunette. "Yeah. I just got back though." He sat up and rubbed his face. "What did you do with Serah?"

"That's not important. Hope, I don't feel safe here anymore. To be honest.. I don't feel safe anywhere." The brunette rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"I know what you mean. It obviously isn't considering I just got kidnapped.. Do you know what actually happened to me?"

Noel shook his head and crossed his arms. "Lightning went out looking for you when you didn't come back this morning, she dragged me along with her. We found your phone in the field and she read the text message. I went to go get Snow while she tracked Caius down. That's all I know. I was with Serah all morning, making sure she was okay."

"So.. you have no idea what happened last night?"

Noel shook his head. The silver haired boy frowned. It almost seemed to easy, to simple, to unrewarding to Caius. But then he remembered what the purple haired man had told him. He wasn't supposed to be hurt. He was _bait_. Bait for Lightning to come find him. Bait so Caius could get what he wanted. There was nothing wrong, nothing happened to him. That's exactly what Caius wanted.

"Light will be okay." Hope looked over at the brunette who was sitting next to him. "You know, she's doing all this for you."

The silver haired boy tilted his head and Noel laughed. "Serah told me. Apparently Light.. she really cares about you. I can tell she's beating herself up over this all. But you know, I kinda have to admit.. this is her fault."

A sigh left the boys mouth. "I know. The worst part is, she didn't mean any of this to happen. I feel so bad.. like I could have done something to help her. But.." Hope opened his palm face up and curled his hands up into fists. "I didn't!"

There was a long silence between the two roommates. Noel put his hand on the silver haired boys shoulder and broke the quiet.

"You love her don't you?"

Hope blushed dark and looked at him. "Wha-"

"Lightning, you love her." Noel's face was serious, almost as if he was trying to read his mind.

Hope sighed and looked down. "I-I think I do."

The brunette patted his shoulder and smiled. Hope's face heated up more and he closed his eyes. _'I can't believe I actually admitted it.' _The feeling of love had been circulating in his system since the day before. He was more than embarrassed to admit it to himself. He didn't think he would fall in love so quickly. Yet again, the two had done everything quickly, so love didn't seem like an exception.

Hope smiled at his friend and laughed softly. "Are you gonna tell me what you did with Serah now?"

Noel laughed and nodded. "Yeah." He rubbed his neck and crossed his arms. "We talked for a while. Then we went for some ice cream. That's about it."

"Boring." Hope sung and laughed as the brunette smacked his head.

"Yeah Yeah, sorry for worrying to much about you to do anything fun."

"Kidding, I'm kidding. I'm glad you worried about me though."

"Everyone was worried, idiot!" Noel smiled and laughed. "Why do you think we sent Snow after you? He's the hero."

They both laughed as Noel mimicked the blondes signature air punch. Hope was glad they were all getting along now. Even if it did happen because of the unfortunate events that they were sucked into. Maybe in the midst of all the tragedy, there was actually, a miracle.

* * *

**A/N: So I want to thank everyone again for reviewing and giving such positive feedback! This story has almost hit 4,000 views! All the feedback makes me write more! **

**Just a little hit to people who wonder when I'm going to update next: I update this story every _two_ days :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Warning: This chapter contains: alcohol and drug use, language and sexual situations_**

* * *

It was around five in the evening when the dorm room door opened. The silver haired boy was sitting at his desk, trying to keep his mind occupied when it happened. His head turned to look who was coming in the door and he immediately stood up. Hope eyed the older girl and frowned. She looked like she was covered in sweat and some other substance. Her hair was wet and messy and her body was trembling slightly. He watched as she slammed the door shut. Lightning ignored the boy completely and walked towards the bathroom.

Hope walked after her and grabbed her hand before she opened the bathroom door. The girls body stiffened as he moved closer to her. She smelled of sex and kinds of drugs he couldn't recognize. He wondered if she was on anything. _'Caius probably drugged her to make it easier..' _He frowned at the thought and wrapped his arms around the girl.

"Let me take a shower, Hope." She said quietly.

The boy could tell she was holding herself back from letting go. He knew her, she wanted to be in his arms, but not like that. "I'll help you wash up." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

Lightning opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. Hope followed right after her, shutting the door and locking it. As the girl got undressed, he watched her as he got undressed himself. There were a few bright red marks and bruises that had already formed on her hips. Hope cringed at the thought of how rough the purple haired man must have been to make those bruises. Her perfect body was now full of imperfect marking.

His stare was broken when she moved over to the shower and turned the water on. He tried not to keep looking at the small bruises that would surely turn ugly in a few days. After Lightning stepped into the shower, he followed in after. His body shivered at the temperature change and after a few seconds he sighed softly. The pink haired girl was washing her hair, running her fingers through the long pieces. Hope watched each movement she made.

"Wash my back?" She asked softly after rinsing her hair.

Hope nodded and grabbed the soap. His movements were gentle, trying not to hurt her more if she had injuries on her back. When his hand moved to her side she hissed in pain.

"Sorry.." He said apologetically. His hands wandered around to her stomach, trying his best to be gentle on every part of her body.

"Light.."Hope set the soap down and moved in front of the girl. She looked up at him, her aqua eyes meeting with his blue-green ones. Hopes mouth opened to say something but he stopped when the girl moved closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. The silver haired boy frowned and put his hands on her waist, barely touching her.

"I-I'm sorry."

Hope frowned and pulled her closer. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You did what you had to do."

Dinner was quiet along with the rest of the night. Lightning didn't say a word to both Hope and Noel. The girl was jumpy too. He tried to hold her hand and comfort her but she gasped every time and moved away. Hope felt horrible. He knew the girl was surely upset and obviously traumatized. Hope felt that he needed to comfort her but he didn't want to push things and have the girl get mad at him.

Noel was now fast asleep in his bed, snoring softly. Hope was lying on his side staring at the wall, trying to fall asleep. The pink haired girl was turned on her side the other way. The whole time they were lying there, Hope had the urge to pull her into his arms and hold her close. But he knew he shouldn't. If Lightning wanted something, she'd make it known.

His head turned to look over his shoulder as he felt a hand on his arm. Lightning was sitting up and looking down at him. Hope sat up and looked at her.

"You okay, Light?" He asked softly.

The girl shook her head and looked down. Hope moved closer to her. The outline of the girls body was glowing from the moonlight that shone through the window. Lightning was in her normal nighttime outfit; underwear. She shivered slightly and looked back up at him. Hope leaned forward and hugged her.

"Want to talk about it?" He whispered, kissing her cheek.

"I'm scared."

Hope frowned and pulled the pink haired girl close. He rubbed her back softly. "It's okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

He wrapped his arms around her back as she crawled onto his lap. The boy had never seen the girl like this. Her whole body was shaking. Hope frowned. This surely wasn't the Lightning he was used to. She wasn't his tough roommate. She had literally broken down before his eyes. His heart skipped a beat when he thought of saying the thing that's been on his mind.

Lightnings nails grazed his back, sending shivers up his spine, making him gasp. "Hope.."

"Yeah Light?"

"Caius he.." She stopped mid sentence, her whole body tensing up.

"It's okay.. you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Hope's fingers ran through the soft pink locks. He kissed her cheek softly and continued to rub her back.

"I think I need to." A small sigh left her lips and she leaned back some in his arms. "He wasn't.. like I though he was going to be."

Hope raised his eyebrow, unsure of what she meant by the statement. "You liked it?"

"Of course not." She scoffed. "But he actually seemed to care about it.. and about me."

The boy could tell she was uncomfortable. "But you have all those bruises on your hips.."

She sighed and looked down. "I know." Her hand went up and covered her eyes.

The silver haired boy frowned and hugged her. "Well it doesn't matter anymore. It's done."

Lightning didn't say anything for a few minutes. She just let Hope hold her in his arms. The boy felt horrible for her. He knew that she never wanted any of this to happen. But he also knew she would do anything to keep her sister safe, and now him.

"He didn't use anything." She whispered, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"He didn't use a condom."

Hope frowned and looked at the girl. "Is he clean? And what if you get.." He couldn't even finish his sentence. He didn't want to think about that possibility of his crush getting some kind of disease or becoming pregnant.

"He said he was." She said quietly.

"I think you should get tested, Light. He could have easily lied and what about us? If he gave you something then I need to know too."

The boy could tell she thought he was right. She probably cursed and screamed at the purple haired man about it before. "I know. I'm going to. Don't worry." Hope sighed softly and nodded. "And I'm on the pill. So don't worry about that either."

His lips curled up into a smile and he grabbed the girls hand. He was more than thankfully for that. Not only had Caius not used a condom, but Hope himself hadn't any of the times they slept together. He might have loved the pink haired girl but he was surely not ready for any children.

"We should go to bed. We've got class tomorrow."

The next morning was no different from other school day mornings. Lightning made everyone tea before they left and each had their shower. They said they're goodbyes as Noel and Hope left for class. Luckily, it was another one of Hope, and Noel's, favorite class; Chemistry. This class would be the same, if not better than the previous classes. It was also the one they had with Serah. They were both excited to be with her again, making sure she's okay.

"How's Light? She seemed pretty quiet today." Noel said as they headed towards the classroom.

"How do you think she is?" Hope sighed and pushed his silver bangs out of the way. "She's.. I don't even know, Noel. I'm really worried about her."

Noel nodded as Hope looked over at him. "I can tell. I am too." He crossed his arms and sighed.

"I do love her Noel. I'm just.. scared. I've never loved anyone like her before or anyone for that matter. I don't even know how to.. how to tell her. She hasn't even said yes to being my boyfriend yet." He heard Noel laugh softly and Hope blushed. "It's not funny Noel! I'm being serious."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." The brunette shook his head and looked at the boy. "It's just, you're making it harder than it needs to be Hope."

"Wha-"

"Hey there!" Their conversation was interrupted by a quirky young blonde girl."Hows your roommate?"

Both the boys stared at the girl in front of them. "Uh, Alyssa right?" Noel said, crossing his arms.

"Yep." She giggled and pointed a finger to the brunette. "Don't tell me you forgot me already." Both boys shook their heads. "So, hows your roommate?"

"She's fine." Hope squinted his eyes at the girl.

"Really?" The girl tapped her chin. "She didn't seem like she was fine yesterday."

The silver haired boy raised his eyebrow. _'How does she know who she is..?' _Hope looked over at his friend and gave him an unsure look.

"You know who Lightning is?" Noel asked, feeling the same vibe.

"The housing office has pictures of every student. I saw hers the other day." She smiled brightly. "Then I saw her with a man yesterday, she seemed upset. Maybe they had a fight." She frowned and tapped her chin.

Both the boys looked at each other, both coming to the same conclusion. Caius.

"Anyway, I hope you two are okay. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

"Right.. thanks Alyssa. We've got to get to class though. See you around." Noel said, grabbing Hope's arm and walking away from the girl. Once they were far enough away from her Noel stopped and turned to his roommate. "Something's up with her."

Hope nodded. "Did you see the way she looked at us when she said that she wouldn't want anything to happen to us?"

"I know." The brunette ran his hand up his face, pushing his bangs out of the way. "I don't think we should trust her. For all we know she could be working with Caius."

"Don't be ridiculous Noel, I doubt that she's working with him." Hope shook his head as he put his hand on his hip.

"Whatever, I think she's up to something." Noel pointed to his roommate and began walking again.

Hope followed after and sighed, gripping on to his messenger bag. The two walked into the classroom, shivering as the air got cooler and took their spots at their lab table. Even though Noel was normally not interested in his classes, he was a rather reliable lab partner. He was always willing to do everything he was asked and actually had fun with it. They made the perfect partners.

The two sat at their table and looked around. Their class was small, only about twelve people. Behind the table across from them was the cheerful pink haired girl.

"Hope, Noel!" She sang out as she walked over to them, her ponytail swinging.

"Hey Serah." Noel said happily. "You feeling okay. Nothing wrong right?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No. I feel great. Stop worrying Noel."

Hope smiled and laughed. "Sorry Serah, you know we have to make sure you're okay."

"I know, I know. I'll be fine okay?" She put her hands behind her back and smiled.

They both nodded and sat back down as the professor walked in. Hope pulled his notebook out and began taking notes on how to do the lab. _'I hope Lights okay..she didn't say anything to me this morning..' _Hope bit his lip as he thought of his crush. The way she looked at him the night before and the way she curled up into his arms. He wondered why the girl still didn't give him an answer about being his girlfriend. They had had sex multiple times and not to mention the other sexual things they've done together. And to be honest, Hope didn't really think of Lightning as someone to do such a thing without being in a relationship with them.

Of course he didn't want their relationship to be all about sex, no of course not. While it was surely an added bonus, he cared about the girl way more than that. He was sure that he cared about the girl much more than she did about him. It was his turn to do something to protect her. He couldn't sit back and watch the girl he loved continue on like that. He had to kill the source of her misery. He had to get rid of Caius.

"Hope?" He felt a nudge on his shoulder and he looked over. "Come on its time to do the lab." Noel laughed and stood up.

The silver haired boy nodded and stood up, grabbing the goggles from the drawer and putting them on. "What are we doing?"

"You're kidding right? You normally pay attention."

"Sorry.. must have zoned out."

Noel explained what they were doing to him quickly. He nodded blankly at the instructions and began doing the lab. His mind was still preoccupied by the thoughts of getting rid of Caius. He half focused on the lab, leaving Noel to do most the work. About half way through the process, the brunette stopped what he was doing and looked over him.

"Hey.. Hope." He whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

Hope nodded and looked at him. "Of course."

He watched as Noel took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "I think.. I like Serah."

The silver haired boy nearly dropped the beaker in his hand. He looked over at his friend in disbelief. "Are you being serious Noel?"

"Yes I'm being serious. I.. I don't know. I just suddenly want to be with her all the time and hug her.. and other things." He ran his hand though his hair.

Hope set down the beaker, fearing he would either drop or break it by accident. He turned to his friend and leaned against the table. "I'm not sure what to say. I mean, Serah's with Snow. There's no way you'd be able to be with her."

Noel hit his hand on the black table and frowned. "I know. That's what fucking pisses me off the most. I could be so much better for her."

"Snow would kill you if he found out." The boy went back to mixing chemicals, still listening to his friend.

"I know, believe me. I just can't help it though. The other day when I was with her the whole day I had the urge to just kiss her." Noel sighed and looked down. "I'm horrible."

Hope looked over at him again and put his hand on his back. "No you're not. Give it some time. Maybe it's just a phase."

The brunette didn't say anything else. The two went back to doing their experiment. Hope watched as Noel looked over at the pink haired girl numerous times. He felt bad, not knowing exactly what to tell him. Serah and Snow were engaged, Noel had no chance. But it still hurt to know it. Hope only wanted the best from his friend and he could tell the conflict was hurting him. The more he thought about it, the more he came to a conclusion. Everyone around him was beginning to get hurt. First Lightning, then he found out about Serah, now Noel.

After class, they walked back together. Noel was quiet, obviously thinking. They were almost back to their dorm, they were stopped by their names being called. Hope looked in the direction and watched as the blonde came running over to them.

"Hey guys. Came to tell you about a party tonight. It's supposed to be huge. Everyone's gonna be there." Snow said cheerfully.

"Totally." Noel said, giving the blonde a fist pound.

"I have to see what Lightning's doing." Hope said quietly.

"Take her along with you! Light loves parties."

Snow hit the boy on his shoulder and laughed. They said their goodbye's and headed towards their dorm once again. When they finally reached it, they walked in happily, both setting down their bags and sitting on their beds. Noel propped his pillows against the headboard and pulled his phone out. Hope watched him, knowing he was finding out who was going to the party that night. He leaned back in his bed, closing his eyes and sighing. Lightning's class didn't get out until four and it was only 3:45. The silver haired boy sighed again.

Deciding he needed a shower, the boy got up and headed into the bathroom. His mind was still full of a million different things. He got undressed and stepped into the shower. After washing himself carefully, he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. The warm water fell over him, making him shiver slightly. He didn't think, at least he tried not to. A few deep breaths and he relaxed. The boy realized he had been in the shower for quite some time when the door opened. He opened his eyes and turned around towards the door.

"Mind if I join you?"

He shook his head and watch the pink haired girl undress. The bruises had only got worse from the day before, making Hope frown. She had such a beautiful body without the purple and blue marks. Lightning stepped into the shower, shivering. He watched her as the temperature began to effect her body.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, watching her shampoo her hair.

"Better than yesterday."

"Think you're up for a party tonight?"

The girl turned around and looked at him. "Thought you didn't like parties?" She rinsed her hair then shook it out some

"Yeah, but you like them. They're not so bad and with you they'll be funner." The silver haired boy watched the water run down her body. "Plus, we had fun together last time apparently."

The girl laughed breathily and ran conditioner through her hair. She washed it out then looked up at the boy. "I'll go. Think you're going to remember it all this time?"

Hope smiled and nodded, pushing himself off the wall and closer to the girl. "I'll try my best." He leaned in and kissed her, putting his hands on her sides.

The boys hands ran up to her breasts, cupping them gently and rubbing her nipples with his thumbs. She whimpered softly and grabbed his hands. "Not with Noel in the room."

She whispered against his lips then backed away, grabbing the soap and washing her body quickly. Hope's body twitched as he realized how much he had missed the girl in such a short time. They got out of the shower, grabbing towels and wrapping them around themselves. Hope wrapped his towel around the girl and smiled at her, kissing her softly. Their body's were still wet and their lips slick. Seeing and feeling how wet the girl was from the shower made him want her even more.

"Awfully horny aren't we?" Lightning whispered seductively into his ear.

Hope almost moaned from her tone. "I can't help it. You're a beautiful. Plus, it's been a bit."

She laughed softly against his ear. "It has."

The silver haired boy grabbed her chin gently and pulled her lips to his, kissing her harder. His hands gripped her towel and pushed it down. Hope pulled her against his body, slipping his tongue in her mouth as she gasped. His skills had greatly improved from the first time, making each moment even better. The girl tensed up when there was a knock on the door.

"Come on, the party's gonna start soon if you guys are coming!" Noel's voice echoed throughout the bathroom.

Hope looked at the girl and she nodded. He picked up her towel and handed it to her then walked to the door, opening it and looking at the brunette. "Go ahead and go, we'll meet you in a bit." He said, walking out of the bathroom.

"You two aren't the only ones that use that bathroom you know. Clean up if you make any mess." Noel snickered then headed out the door.

The two roommates got dressed. Hope in a pair of light blue shorts and grey shirt and Lightning in a purple tank top and brown shorts. A surge of pleasure shot through his body as he examined the older girls body. He bit his lip and looked back up at her face.

"Lightning.."

"Come on, we're gonna be missing the party."

Hope blushed and nodded. "Right." He almost had a wave of relief. He was more than nervous to tell the girl how he really felt about her.

The silver haired boy grabbed her hand and led her out the door. The hallways were quiet, most people were either studying or at dinner. A surge of excitement went through his body, remembering the dancing he did from the last party. This time, they were practically together, making Hope want to be with her all night. As they walked, he pulled her closer, feeling the heat from the girl.

When they arrived, Hope was blasted with music, alcohol, and drugs. Luckily it didn't hit him as hard as the first time. His eyes scanned around, making sure Caius wasn't there. With the coast clear, Lightning drug him to the drinks table. They both took a couple shots of some unknown alcohol. His body shuddered at the powerful substance in his system. The blue-green eyes scanned the room once again at the new angle. There wasn't anyone he recognized as he looked about the room.

In a corner he spotted his brunette roommate. He was in a heated grinding session with another random girl he had never seen. Hope knew that the boy had a thing for Serah, but in his drunken state, he probably didn't care who he was dancing with. As soon as his eyes went back to the pink haired girl, she grabbed his arm and pulled him over to a group of people sitting on a pair of couches. He watched as she talked to one of the girls that was seated. The girl turned back to him and waved a small blunt in her fingers. Hope blushed and was dragged to an empty chair. He was pushed down and his eyes watched Lightning as she took a drag of the blunt and blew the smoke off to the side.

Before he had time to think, she was straddling his lap and kissed him, blowing the smoke into his mouth. The memories of winter break ran through his mind. He eagerly opened his mouth for the second kiss. Lightning smirked against his lips and continued the action another time before standing up and handing the drug to another couple. Hope stood up as well, grabbing the girls hand. Both their heads turned as there was loud chanting. Lightnings eyes squinted and she sighed. Hope looked at her then back at the scene.

In the middle of a circle that was becoming bigger, was Snow. He was beyond drunk and in the middle of a beer chugging contest with another boy. Lightning growled and pushed her way in the circle, grabbing the blonde by his shirt and pulling him away from the beer.

"What the fuck, Light?"

Hope walked over to both of them and stood next to the pink haired girl. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be watching Serah!" Even though the music was loud, he could hear how angry his crush was.

"She's fine sis!" The blonde laughed and looked around.

"Fuck you!" The girl pushed him away and grabbed Hope's hand, taking him over to where Noel was currently standing. Luckily for both of them, he wasn't with the girl he was dancing with earlier. Lightning grabbed his arm and pulled him close, leaning to his ear.

"I need you to go watch after Serah."

"What why?" He turned and looked at her with both a annoyed and disappointed face.

"Snow left her alone."

Noel looked over at Hope. He understood why the brunette was so apprehensive. He did have feelings for the younger pink haired girl and being drunk around her wasn't probably the best idea.

"Can you please go look after her?"

After a minute the boy nodded. "Yeah, no problem." Lightning leaned forward and hugged the boy. "Thank you."

They watched him leave then he turned the pink haired girl around to face him. "Why'd you make Noel go?" He whispered in her ear.

"I don't trust myself around her like this. And I can't leave you alone. Not with Caius still after you."

Hope frowned and nodded. "Let's not worry about that okay? Let's just have fun. Noel will call if anything happens." He said, pressing his lips against her ear.

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**A/N: I am so so so so sorry I didn't update for a week! I know you guys are going to kill me! I was so busy with the holiday over the weekend then prom yesterday. But I'm back on schedule and everything's going back to how it was. **


	14. Chapter 14

_**Warnings: This chapter contains: Alcohol and drug references, language, and heave sexual content. (aka Lemon~)**_

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Hope wrapped his hands around the girls hips as she turned in his arms. The music seemed to get louder by the second as their senses were intensified by the alcohol and drugs. The boy could tell that Lightning was still worried about her sister but tried not to show it as she began dancing to the music. Her butt ground perfectly against his crotch, giving him a hum of pleasure. Memories of their last party washed over him. But he couldn't think much more when Lightning bent over, moving her hips against him harder.

His hands moved down more, slowly down to her inner thighs. The pink haired girl shuddered and spread her legs some. Hope felt his pants tighten at the sight in front of him. When his hands moved down further he began to rub the girl through her shorts, making her mess up her rhythm for a moment. His fingers seemed to work magic against her crotch. Hope couldn't tell if he was doing it for her pleasure or for his own.

Unexpectedly, the girl turned around in his arms again, grabbing his shirt and pulling him back until her back touched the wall. His lips smashed against hers as he pressed against her, pushing her more against the white wall. Lightning spread her legs, allowing the boy to slip his hips in between them, grinding against her harder. Hope licked the girls bottom lip. She eagerly opened her mouth, allowing the silver haired boy to slip his tongue in, caressing it against her own tongue.

"Fuck.." Lightning moaned in his ear as his lips moved down to her neck.

She put her hands on his shoulders, gripping them as he ground harder into her. There was no holding back anymore. Neither of them cared that they were doing such things in a public place. The alcohol had already taken over their system. Hope felt his pants tighten even more when the girl started bucking her hips into his own. His fingers traveled down to the top of her shorts. Not caring about anyone watching, he unbuttoned the brown shorts and pulled the zipper down.

Lightning spread her legs more when Hope pushed his hand down in her shorts, rubbing his fingers against her crotch. She gripped his shoulders more, tugging at his shirt and leaning her head to the side as he sucked softly on her neck. Feeling the obvious bulge Hope had pressed against her naval, her hand ran down his chest and began to palm him through his shorts.

"Lightning.." The silver haired boy whispered in her ear. "We need to go to the room." His voice was breathy and husky. He felt his hormones taking over along with the substances in his blood.

She didn't say anything and simply nodded. Hope moved his hand out of her shorts and off of her completely. He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the multiple groups of people. They both were flushed and their lips parted when the reached the hallway. Hope took a moment and pulled her close, kissing her quickly and grabbing her butt before beginning to walk again. Thankfully because of their fast walking, they made it back to the dorm in only a few minutes.

Immediately as Hope shut the dorm room door, he pushed the girl all the way back to the bed, making her fall on her back. Hope crawled on top of her, kissing her fiercely and passionately. Lightning spent no time tugging off the younger boys shirt and quickly disposing it on the floor. Still kissing, the silver haired boy pulled off her tank top and throwing it with his own shirt. Their bodies pressed together as he made Lightning arch her back, quickly unbuttoning her bra and slipping it off.

It wasn't long before Hope had kissed his way down the girls neck, to her breast and took a perky pink nipple in his mouth. He sucked on it hard, massaging the other breast in his other hand.

"Shit.." Lightning gasped and arched her back into him. "Keep.. Doing that." Her voice was quiet and raspy.

Hope watched her as he scrapped his teeth against the pink bud. The girl thrashed her head to the side and moaned. While he continued his sucking, biting, and licking, he ran his hand down her stomach, grazing over her belly button ring and to her still unbuttoned shorts. His fingers pushed under her thong and started caressing her clit. The pink haired girl moaned loudly and spread her legs. Removing his mouth from her breast, he looked up at her, panting softly and pulled off her shorts and underwear with his free hand.

The boys shorts were becoming unbearably tight as he watched the older woman moaning and gasping. He wanted to remove them more than anything, but he was more concentrated on making Lightning happy, even in his drunken state. Hope crawled up some, his fingers still on her clit, and kissed the girl hard. His fingers made their way down, slipping on into her and curling it up. Lightning moaned into his mouth and bucked her hips. After several pumps, he pushed two more in, making her gasp and blush.

"Hope.." She said, breaking away from the kiss and grabbing his arm. "E-Enough."

The boy tilted his head and looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Wha-"

"Just fuck me already."

The pink haired girl looked up at him, her lips swollen and parted slightly, her cheeks flushed a dark red and her eyes watery. Hope nodded after a second and removed his fingers, making her whimper. Before he could begin to remove his shorts, Lightning was already doing so. Her hands were fast and made quick of removing the clothing. She wrapped her hand around his dick, pumping it a few times before letting go and laying back down.

Hope bit his lip at the sight underneath him. Slowly, he spread the girls legs and wrapped them around his waist, positioning himself and rubbing against her softly. He heard her moan before he pushed all the way in. Lightning arched her back and gasped loudly, tightening her legs around his waist. With one hand, he gripped her hip as he began thrusting slowly, the other hand met hers. The thrusts became faster, making the boy moan in response and close his eyes.

Lightning gripped the boys arm with her free hand, digging her nails into it as he increased the pace. There was no knowledge of what time it was or how loud they were being. All they cared about was each other. Hope kissed the girl again, this time more soft, more passionate. She kissed back just the same, gently licking his bottom lip. He opened his mouth slightly, the feel of her tongue against his made him increase his pace once again. Lightning moaned into his mouth and after a minute broke away, moaning loudly and panting.

"mm.. Ah, Hope I'm.." The pink haired girl moaned out and arched her back into him, thrusting her hips up to meet his.

Hope opened his eyes, looking down at the girl and thrusting harder, panting louder as he did so. It was only a few seconds after that that he began to feel the pool of heat in his stomach. Lightning practically screamed and gripped his arm hard, her nails digging and scrapping the skin as she came. Hope moaned loudly, feeling her muscles constrict around him and her liquids running down to his own hips. With a few more hard thrusts, he himself came. He collapsed on to her, their hands still intertwined and their panting heavy and bodies shaking.

The thought passed his mind when he looked at the girl who was still shaking underneath him. _'I should tell her..'_ His head shook at the idea. _'Not when we're like this, not drunk.' _Even though he was intoxicated, he was still able to piece together logic. Instead of saying anything, he simply gripped her hand and held her close.

"Hope.. I need to go to the bathroom.."

The silver haired boy sat up some, pulling out of her and moving to the side. He watched her as she got off the bed, her legs were stills shaking a bit and she made her way to the bathroom. He ran his hand through his hair and looked over at the clock. _'It was already ten at night?' _His eyes squinted, not knowing where the time went. As he leaned back against the pillows, he heard a loud vibrating noise. Hope looked around and saw a small light coming from Lightnings shorts. He leaned over the bed and pulled the phone out of her pocket. _'Noel..' _

"Noel?" Hope said questionably, making sure it was his roommate.

"Fuck, thank god it's you Hope." His voice was soft, almost scared like.

"What's the matter? Lights in the bathroom right now."

"Are you guys still at the party?"

"No, we're back in the room." Hope looked around, trying to be quiet. "What's wrong?"

"I fucking kissed her.." Noels voice quieted, Hope could almost see the sadness and regret in his face.

"You what? Why?"

"I.." He sighed. "We were just talking and then I don't know, I just leaned over and kissed her. She looked so pretty and I couldn't control myself."

Hope stood up and pulled on his underwear. "Well what did she do? Did she know you've been drinking?" He crossed his arm across his chest and leaned his elbow on his hand.

"Yeah, I told her sorry after I rambled like an idiot. She didn't kiss back but she didn't pull away when it happened either."

"You think she wanted it too?" Hope raised his eyebrow, listening to make sure Lightning was still in the bathroom.

"I have no idea and I'm not really trying to ask her that now. I mean fuck, she's Snow's fiancee and if he finds out, I'm practically dead meat."

Hope turned around when he saw the girl walk out of the bathroom. "Okay listen, just stay calm and try your best to act like it didn't happen. You can bring her over here and we'll be all together, then it'll be less awkward." His voice was quite as Lightning came closer to him.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks Hope."

He quickly closed the phone and turned to the pink haired girl as she rubbed his shoulders. "Who was that?"

"Noel. He's going to bring Serah over here so we're all together."

Lightning nodded and ran he hands down his arms. "Mm, guess we have to get dressed now don't we?"

The silver haired boy nodded and smiled softly at her. He tossed the phone back on the bed and began picking up his clothes. Luckily, the alcohol had started to wear off a bit for both of them. Only a few seconds after they finished getting dressed and fixing themselves to look like they hadn't just had sex, the door opened, showing Noel and Serah.

"Hey sis." Serah smiled and walked over to her sister, hugging her tightly.

Lightning smiled a bit and hugged back. "You okay? Everything feel alright?"

"Yeah, I feel fine." Serah said as she pulled away and looked at her older sister.

Hope walked over to Noel who remained by the door. "So? You need to tell me what exactly happened."

Noel pulled him closer to him and turned around, his back facing the pink haired sisters. "Well we we're talking and she was saying how Snow's always going out to parties and never taking her. Then she looked really sad so I, you know, just hugged her to try and comfort her the best I could." Noel crossed his arms and sighed. "Then she kept talking and I kinda zoned out and just watched her talk. That's when I kissed her."

The silver haired boy sighed and put his hand on his hip. "Think she's going to tell Snow?" He looked over at his friend.

"I fucking hope not." Noel ran his hand through his hair and shook his head. "Shit, I'll just blame it on the fact that I'm drunk."

"Noel, do you really think Snow's going to care about that?" Hope frowned, knowing his friend was upset and obviously worried about the outcome of his actions.

"No.." He said quietly as he put his hands on his hips and shook his head."

"Hey do you two wanna watch a movie with us?" Serah asked cheerfully as she came up behind the two boys.

Hope turned around and looked at the girl. "Yeah, sure." He watched as Serahs blue eyes looked over a Noel, who blushed slightly before nodded.

The girl giggled softly and walked back over to Lightning who was sitting on the floor and browsing through the TV guide. Hope walked over to the bed and pulled down a few pillows tossing two to Noel and keeping two for himself and Lightning. The silver haired boy sat next to his crush, putting the pillows against the table and leaning back. Noel did the same on the other side. If anyone were to walk in the room, it would look like they were on a movie date with the two pink haired girls.

Hope was seated next to Lightning, Serah next to her, then Noel. Serah got up once they picked a movie and skipped over to the light switch, turning the lights off and plopping down in her spot once again. As the movie started, Hope moved closer to Lightning, wrapping his arm around her back and pulling her closer. The two still smelled heavily of alcohol and weed even though the effects of both had begun to ware off.

The girl put her head on his shoulder and rested a hand on his lap. Hope looked over at the two other people and realized that Noel was pretty far away from the pink haired girl, obviously wanting to avoid anymore situations. About half way through the movie, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Noel said as he stood up and headed towards the door.

Hope watched the brunette open the door. The person who walked in was none other than Snow. Hope mentally sighed to himself, knowing that something was bound to happen.

"Serah, come on let's go back to our room." The blonde said, moving closer to the group. By the way he looked, he was still pretty drunk.

"Actually Snow, I wanna finish watching this movie. I'll be back in a bit okay?"

"No, we're gonna go back now." Hope bit his lip and loosened his arm around Lightning as she moved off of him.

"Knock it off Snow. She can stay here to finish watching to movie. You're too drunk to take her home anyway."

"Who the hell brought her here then? She was in our room when I left." He completely ignored Lightnings question, giving her an even better reason not to let her sister go with him.

"I did. Because you were to busy getting fucking wasted instead of keeping an eye on your fiancee!" Noel stepped towards the blonde, crossing his arms.

"Listen here, she doesn't need to be babysat alright? She's 18 for fucks sake."

"Are you shitting me? She's got a deadly cancer that could make her sick at any time and let's not forget the fucking maniac that's out to get all of us!" Hope watched as Noel pushed the blonde, making him stumble back some.

Both Lightning and Serah stood up. Lightning made her way over to the two and spread them apart. "Arguing about this isn' t helping anything." Her gaze turned to the blonde. "Serah can stay here as long as she wants why you get your ass sober. You're not taking her anyway until then."

Hope bit his lip, hoping nothing physical would happen. Thankfully, Snow simply rubbed the back of his head and nodded, finally apparently getting the point. It wasn't long before he had made his way out of their room. Noel sighed and shut the door before returning to his seat. Both of the girls sat back down and continued watching the movie. Hope could feel the uncomfortableness in the room. Between Snow coming in and the kiss that Noel and Serah shared earlier, he could practically cut the feeling in the air.

When the movie was over, Noel offered to take Serah back to her dorm. Of course Lightning approved and watched them leave. Once they were gone, Hope turned to her and smiled.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you how wonderful that sex was tonight." He wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her closer.

"Isn't it always wonderful?" She said as she looked up at him, smiling softly.

He nodded and kissed her softly. He was so happy that their 'relationship' had worked out well, even if they weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet. The two crawled into bed and fell asleep rather quickly.

The next two weeks were more or less uneventful. Classes were as they normally were. Serah was fine and hadn't been feeling sick, and Caius had been awfully quite. Even with the calmness of the past week, Lightning still didn't let Hope out of her sight and always made sure Serah had someone with her.

The trio was now walking to breakfast, eager to get food into their empty stomachs. In the middle of walking, Lightning grabbed both of the boys arms and stopped.

"What is it?" Noel said, looking at her.

"I know that girl." The pink haired girl gave a small head nod forward.

Both boys looked in the direction and squinted, trying to see the person she was talking about. Hopes eyes returned to normal as he turned to the girl. "Alyssa?"

"I don't know her name but I know I've seen her before.. I just can't remember where.."

Noel looked over at Hope and put a hand on his hip. "She works in the housing office.." He turned his gaze to Lightning. "Maybe you saw her there?"

Lightning shook her head. "No, it was recently."

Hope raised his eyebrow, remembering the conversation Noel and him had had the last time when Alyssa talked to them. "Hey Noel.. Maybe you're right."

"What?" He crossed his arms and looked at him.

"Remember last time when she came and talked to us you said you thought she was up to something?"

Noel rested his chin in his fingers. "Yeah." He looked back up at the two. "Yeah I said she might be working with Caius."

The pink haired girl looked at him. "That's it. That's where I've seen her. She's been with him a few times."

"So she's definitely working with him?" Hope asked, putting a hand on his hip.

"I can't be for sure but she has obviously been with him. She's probably got some connection to him somehow."

Once the girl had passed, they continued on to the cafeteria. They all got a plateful of breakfast and sat down together. All of them ate their food rather quickly. Because of class times, they rarely got to eat breakfast let alone eat with each other. Thankfully though, they only had about another two months of classes left before summer break.

"Hey Hope, what do you want for your birthday?" Noel asked as he finished up his toast.

"Nothing." He said shrugging.

"Don't say that. You have to want something." The pink haired girl joined in as she returned from throwing her trash away.

"I really don't know. I mean, I'm pretty happy right now with everything I have." He heard both of them sigh in annoyance. "If you really want to get me something, I'm sure I'll like whatever you get me." A smile appeared on his lips.

"Could you give us some kind of hint or something?" Lightning said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair.

"Oh come on, you don't need a hint. You guys are practically dating, you have the easiest things to give him." The brunette said as he leaned against the table.

Hope blushed at the statement. "Guys really, I don't need anything." In the back of his mind he hoped that maybe because of Noels statement that Lightning would finally be his girlfriend. The thought of finally saying he loved her also popped into his mind, making him blush darker.

Hope was about to say something else when Lightning stood up from the table and looked down. Her face was pale and her hands were a bit shaky. "I'm gonna head back to the dorm.. See you guys there." Lightnings voice was soft and as shaky as her hands and arms were. Hope looked at her with a concerned face as he watched her walk off


	15. Extra IV: I'm Fine I Promise

_**Warning: This chapter contains: Language.**_

_**Note: This chapter is in Lightning's POV  
**_

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By the time the girl reached the dorm room she was practically gagging. Her hands pushed open the bathroom door and her body collapsed on the tile, her face hanging over the toilet as she puked. The pink haired girl gripped the toilet bowl, arms shaking and her face pale. When she finally leaned back against the wall, her head leaned and her body felt limp. Her hands shook violently as she moved them to her face, pushing the pink hair out of the way.

Lightning sighed to herself as she looked at the ceiling. It wasn't like her to get sick let alone throw up. It confused her none the less but she got up anyway, trying to shake the feeling away. Her stomach churned again but it quickly left when she walked out of the bathroom. As soon as she was close enough, she flopped down on her bed. Her eyes looked up at the white ceiling, tracing the patterns. Another wave of nausea passed through her body, making the girl stand up and run back into the bathroom, reacting the first time.

Something was surely wrong. Lightning Farron never got sick, ever. She couldn't remember the last time she even had a cold. The pink haired girl was always on top of her health; eating all the recommended foods, taking the vitamins, exercising, everything. There was no reason for her to be sick. None at all. After the third round of nausea went passed, the bathroom door opened. The girl didn't turn her head, in fear any movement would bring the feeling back again.

"Light..? You okay?"

'_Thank god.'_ She thought to herself as she recognized the voice. Hope would help her and make her feel better. She never admitted it, but the boy really did make her happy. He was always so kind and thoughtful and she had never had anyone like it. She enjoyed spending time with him and simply enjoyed his presence.

"I'm fine.." She said as she leaned against the wall again. "Just a little nauseous." Lightning clenched her fist as another wave began to come.

Hope knelt down behind her and held her hair back as she threw up again. "How many times have you thrown up?" His hands pulled her hair back into a pony tail as he grabbed the rubber band from the counter.

"This is the forth."

Lightning sighed and wiped her mouth as she slumped back into the younger boys arms. She honestly had no idea what was wrong or why she was throwing up. It worried her greatly and she knew as soon as Hope left she would go to the wellness center to be examined.

"Light.. That's not normal. We should take you to the nurse." His voice was laced with fear.

Lightning shook her head, waving her hand slightly. "You have class soon. I'm fine. If it gets worse I'll go." She knew she would go, but she didn't want Hope to miss class because of her.

"Okay but call me if it does it worse first okay? I'll come right back and go with you."

The pink haired girl nodded as he kissed her on the top of her head then stood up, making sure she was stable before leaving. She took a minute to wait before getting up, holding on to the wall as she stopped shaking. Her body was weak and she felt light headed. The girl took a deep breath before walking out of the bathroom, never once letting go of the wall. As soon as she was positive that Hope would have been out of the building, she walked over to grab her phone then headed out the door.

Thankfully, the nausea seemed to have subsided as she made her way down the hallway. She was still quite week and shaky but she could walk without tipping over. It didn't take her long to reach the wellness center, fearing she would get sick again. Lightning opened the door to the center and walked inside, looking around for the nearest nurse.

"Hello can I help you?" A young brunette girl said as she met the pink haired girls eyes.

"Uh..yeah..I'm sick." Lightning said quietly.

The girl looked at her, tilting her head slightly as she stood up from her chair and walked over to Lightning. "You do look pale.. What exactly is wrong?" Her hand reached up and felt her forehead.

"I've been throwing up..a-all morning."

"Okay, let's get you to a room and we'll find out what's going on."

Lightning nodded and followed the girl into a room. She was directed to sit on the examination table and she quickly did, feeling a wave of nausea come back. The girl told her the nurse would be in shortly to get information and to find out what was happening. The pink haired girl laid down, taking deep breaths to try and overcome the nausea. She couldn't believe this was actually happening to her. She was completely fine before breakfast. _'Maybe it was something I ate?'_ She thought to herself. _'That would make the most sense..' _

"Hello there." Lightning looked over at the door as an older woman walked in. Her hands clutched a clipboard tightly. "I'm doctor Moore." Her mouth had a small smile on it as she walked closer to the girl.

"Name's L-Lightning." The pink haired girl said as she sat up.

"What seems to be bothering you today Lightning?" The doctor sat down at the desk next to the table.

"I've been throwing up all morning."

"What did you have to eat this morning?" The woman crossed her legs and placed the clipboard on her knee, writing quickly.

"I had just an apple and some toast. I wasn't all that hungry."

"And you just felt nauseous and then you threw up soon after?" Lightning nodded and watched the doctor write more on her clipboard. "You felt fine before hand correct?"

"Perfectly fine."

After another minute of the older woman continued to write things down, she stood up and walked over to Lightning. She proceeded to do the routine checks. Lightning did everything that was asked, hoping she would get an answer as to why she had gotten so sick all of the sudden. All the tests were done and the doctor was now back to writing on her clipboard. The pink haired girl eyed the woman, trying to read what she was writing.

"Alright. Now I need to know a few things before I can find out what's really happening." Lightning moved her eyes up to hers and nodded. "Are you sexually active?"

The girls eyes widened. She knew where the doctor was going with these questions and it scarred her. _'No, no, no, no, no!' _She mentally shook her head and took a breath before nodding, a small blush on her cheeks.

"Do you use condoms? Birth control? Or some kind of prevention?"

"I'm on birth control. That's it." Lightning wanted to get up and leave. She didn't want to hear anymore or be asked anymore questions. There was no way it was possible. No way at all. She was fine. Just a bad apple or maybe she really was capable of just getting sick. It was still winter after all. People get sick in the winter all the time.

"And when was your last period?"

"Last month."

The doctor looked up at her. "Is it late? It's almost March."

Lightning quickly shook her head. "No. It should come in a few days."

She watched as the older woman wrote more yet again before asking another question. "Let me ask you this, when did you first become active? And when was the last time you had sex?"

The pink haired girl bit her lip. "The first time was Christmas. The last was the other day, literally."

Doctor Moore nodded and wrote one last thing on her clipboard before setting it down on the desk and looked up at the pink haired girl. "I'm going to hold off on giving you any anti-nausea pills for right now. I want you to come back at the end of the week for a pregnancy test if your period doesn't come by then. What you described happened today sounds a lot like morning sickness."

Lightning felt her heart skip at least ten beats. _'There's no way.' _Not only is she sick, but it could be because of a pregnancy. She couldn't even think or process what the doctor was saying. Her whole mind was racing through a million different thoughts. She couldn't be pregnant, she just couldn't. She had to take care of Serah and make sure Hope was safe and keep Caius off her back. There were too many things she had to do and people she had to protect. If she truly was pregnant, it would end so many things for her.

"I'll give you some information on pregnancy as well. It wouldn't hurt to read them, regardless if you are or not." The doctor stood up and walked over to a small rack that was hanging on the wall and pulled out a few pamphlets. "How old are you Lightning?"

The girl looked up at the doctor as she handed her the booklets. "I'm 22."

The older woman nodded. "Then we don't need to contact your parents if you are indeed pregnant."

"My parents are dead anyway." Lightning mumbled as she stood up, clutching the pamphlets in her hands.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." She took a moment of silence before beginning again. "The woman at the front desk will set you up an appointment for Saturday morning. If anything else happens before that please call and we'll get you in right away."

Lightning nodded and shook her hand then walked out of the room. Her mind was still hazy as she walked to the front room and received her appointment time. The walk back to her dorm was all a blur. Luckily the nausea had subsided and she was feeling better, stronger. She knew Hope was expecting a call from her but she couldn't tell him what she had found out. She didn't want to. Even herself didn't want to believe the doctors words.

There were too many thoughts in her head. _'Why me? Why now? What about Serah?' _Lightning stopped when she reached the dorm and her eyes widened. It had just hit her that Hope wasn't the only one she had slept with. There was Caius too. The pink haired girl felt her heart melt and her eyes tearing up. _'No, oh god no.' _She quickly opened the dorm room and bursted inside, instantly walking over to the bed and curling up in it. Her body shook slightly as tears began to roll silently down her cheeks. It was all too much for her to handle.

Lightning was slowly losing herself. She had been far more emotional than she had ever been in the past years. It scared her. The reason why she had put aside her selfish emotions was to take care of Serah. And even doing so, those emotions still came out because of other things. She couldn't take care of her sister like that. Serah would be far too worried as to why her older sister was sad or upset. Then she would want to take care of her instead.

The girl wiped her eyes and took a deep breath as she heard the door open and close. Her eyes ran to the clock. 12:15. It had to be Noel. Hope had classes until two and wouldn't have been home before hand, despite her sickness.

"Feeling any better?" Noel's voice was closer as she felt the other side of the bed go down some.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She quickly wiped her eyes again before rolling on her back and looking up at him. "Just a bad apple."

Noel raised his eyebrow. "Sure that's it?"

The pink haired girl gave him a confused look as she watched him sit down next to her and reached his hand over her. Her eyes followed his hand as he pulled it back toward himself, holding the pamphlets she had gotten at the wellness center. Her eyes instantly widened and reached for the booklets.

"Noel give them to me." Her voice was harsh as she sat up. The boy lifted them in the air, away from her hand and read the front of them.

"Light, holy shit are you pregnant?" His eyes met hers.

"No! Of course not!" The pink haired girl growled and grabbed for the booklets again. "The doctor was just stupid and gave them to me."

"I'm pretty sure doctors aren't stupid. There's got to be a reason why they gave you these. Did you take a test?"

She felt her cheeks blush. "No! Noel I'm not pregnant. She just thought it was morning sickness and since I haven't gotten my period yet this month she gave them to me for precautions."

Noel let his arms down and sighed. "A little too much information but if the doctor thinks you might be.. Maybe they're right. Whether you want to accept it or not."

Lightning looked down, taking in what her roommate had said. Even though she didn't want to admit it, he was probably right. "I..I have to go back on Saturday if I don't get my period by then for a test." Her tone was considerably softer now. "But I know I'm not."

"Well do you and Hope use condoms or anything?"

The girl felt somewhat awkward talking to the brunette about such a subject, considering Hope had informed her that Noel wanted to have sex with her when she first arrived at the college. "I'm on the pill but we don't use condoms."

"I'm surprised. Hope doesn't seem like the person to not use one." Noel crossed his arms and leaned back against the pillows.

"He's never even mentioned using one. Now that I think about it, he doesn't seem like the person not to either."

"Do you need someone to come with you on Saturday?"

Lightning looked over at the brunette, meeting his eyes. She bit her lip, thinking of the outcome if he did come with her. '_Perhaps it would make me feel better..' _She nodded. "You have to promise me you won't tell Hope about any of this though. I don't want to know."

"I won't.. But you know, you'll have to tell him eventually, you know, if you are pregnant. Since it's gonna be his."

She was about to mention the encounter with Caius when she realized that he must not have known or simply forgot that she had the meeting with him. A part of her was relieved, the other was scared, remembering that she did have sex with the purple haired man.

"Right." Lightning brushed her bangs out of her face and gripped the blanket. "Thanks, Noel. I really appreciate it."

Both roommates looked at each other and smiled. Noel leaned forward and hugged the pink haired girl. "No problem." He said as he pulled away. "Ah, I should probably head out. I'm supposed to meet Serah for lunch."

Noel got up and ran his hand through his hair. "Thanks for taking care of my sister Noel. It really means a lot to me."

"Yeah, it's no trouble at all. Serah and I have a lot of fun together." He smiled and put a hand on his hip.

A few minutes later and after the brunette collected a few things, he headed out, saying a final goodbye to the pink haired girl. Lightning sighed softly to herself and laid back down, looking up at the ceiling. She really couldn't believe that being pregnant was even a possibility for her. She took her pill everyday without error. Everything was supposed to be perfect. That's why she had originally came to the college. So that her family could be perfect again. Being pregnant would ruin her life.

Her eyes fluttered open at the smell of tea tickling her nose. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock. 5:43. Lightning frowned, not realizing she had fallen asleep. She sat up some, leaning back against the pillows. Her eyes instantly moved towards the moving figure near the kitchenette. The silver haired boy was pouring sugar into a mug when he looked over.

"Hey, have a good nap?" He asked, looking back down at the mug.

"Yeah. Sorry I didn't know I fell asleep." She pushed the bangs out of her face and crossed her arms. "How was class?"

"Good as usual. Got an A on my last test." Hope grabbed the mug and walked over to her. He handed it to her then sat down next to her. "You feeling better?"

She took the blue mug in her hands and welcomed the warmth it gave her. "Yeah I'm fine. I meant to call you but I fell asleep, as you could tell."

The silver haired boy laughed softly and nodded. "Don't worry about it. Noel texted me and told me you were fine." His hand reached over and pulled the blanket over himself, pulling the pink haired girl closer to him as she took a sip of her tea.

The two cuddled for a while as Lightning continued to sip her tea slowly. She had so much on her mind that she still couldn't think straight yet. She decided to ask a few questioned to see how hope would react to them.

"Hey Hope.. What age do you think it's good to have kids?" She leaned her head on his shoulder, trying to avoid his eyes, knowing he would be confused at the sudden question.

"I don't know. When you're married for sure. Have a stable job and if you're ready I guess."

"What about if you didn't have any of that. Do you think you could still have a kid with someone?" She asked timidly.

"Well If I really loved the girl and that's what we wanted then yeah." He looked down at her. "What's up with the random questions? Something on your mind?"

Lightning quickly shook her head. "No. I saw a TV show debating about it. I wanted to know what you thought about it. That's all."

"Hm."

Hope and Lightning spent the rest of the night watching TV and laying together. Lightning was still feeling weak and she really didn't feel like doing anything. Besides, being in Hope's arms was the only place she wanted to be, despite her racing thoughts. It wasn't easy to get to sleep that night and she wasn't sure what time she actually did fall asleep.

The next few days went by horribly slow. Every hour she went to the bathroom to check if her period had came or not. Each time she would get a wave of disappointment. By Saturday all her hope had dwindled away. The reality of her possibly being pregnant came crashing down on her as the morning came and it was time for her appointment. It was an understatement to say she was nervous. She was terrified.

"Ready to go?"

Lightning looked up at the brunette who was waiting by the door. She nodded and walked over to him. She took a deep breath then followed him out of their walk to the center was terrible. Lightning was on the verge of running back to their room the whole time. She knew if she would have attempted such an action, Noel would surely drag her back. As they reached the building, she took a deep breath and stepped inside after the brunette.

They were quickly redirected to a room and told the doctor would be in soon. Lightning sat on the bed again while Noel sat on a chair close by. The doctor walked in a few minutes later, revealing to be the same doctor as last time.

"Miss Farron. Nice to see you again. How was the last few days?"

"Fine. A bit more nausea but no more throwing up." Her hands were held together at her lap.

"Good." Doctor Moore looked over at Noel. "And who's this?"

"I'm Noel. Lights roommate." He said with a smile as he leaned back in the chair.

"Nice to meet you Noel. I'm Doctor Moore."

Before anything else happened, the older woman grabbed the clipboard that was on the table and flipped through a few pages before writing something down. "Okay so you're period has not come, correct?" Lightning nodded. "Alright so what I'm going to have you do is take a pregnancy test. I know you're on the pill but it's not always effective and it is possible to become pregnant on it. Also because you are heavily sexually active it raises your chances."

Her cheeks tinted pink and she nodded again. The doctor stood up and collected the small pregnancy test and handed it to her. After directing her to the bathroom and giving her the directions, Lightning closed the bathroom door. She took a deep breath and stared at the small box the test was in. She couldn't believe that was happening to her. With shaky hands, she opened the box and headed towards the toilet. Lightning sat down and peed awkwardly on the stick. With her eyes closed, she lifted the device up and set it on the back of the toilet as she wiped herself and pulled her clothes back up.

Her arms crossed and her eyes remained closed as she waited. After what was surely five minutes, she turned around to face the small plastic stick she had placed on the back of the toilet. Lightning cautiously raised it, looking at it with great concentration. She quickly remembered what the doctor had told her. _'One line means no, two means yes._' Her eyes went to the small window that presented the results. _'One line. Thank god.' _Lightning had never smiled so much in her life. She was overwhelmed with joy.

She quickly went back into the examination room and told Noel and the doctor. Despite her great happiness, doctor Moore broke the feeling when she said that it was possible she could still be pregnant. It could be a false positive or simply too early if she was pregnant. Lightning was still happy that the test revealed that she wasn't and that's all she cared about at that moment.


	16. Chapter 16

**Warnings: This chapter contains; Language **

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"Hope! What are you doing here?"

The silver haired boy flinched slightly as the blonde haired girls high pitched voice pierced his ears. "I need to find out about a student here. Where he lives exactly." Hope put his hands on the counter in front of him, looking down at the blonde.

"Sure. Who are you looking for?" Alyssa tilted her head at the older boy and smiled brightly at him.

"I'm not sure of his name but.. He's got purple hair. I'm sure they're aren't that many people her with hair that color." Hope laughed softly in attempt to cover his lie. Of course he knew who he was. It was Caius. But both Noel and Lightning had walked on the thought of Alyssa working with the purple haired man and he didn't want anything standing in his way.

The morning had been perfect. He woke up to a note from Lightning. She told him that Noel and Lightning had gone out and that he himself shouldn't leave the room until they came back. She also mentioned that she wouldn't be long. Despite her instructions, he had been thinking about his plan for several days and couldn't pass up the perfect opportunity.

Alyssa's eyes squinted slightly as she continued to look at him. "I think I know who you're talking about. Why do you need to know where he lives?" Her voice was laced with suspicion. Hope took a small breath, trying to keep his focus.

"He borrowed my notebook in class today and I need it back for studying."

He watched her stare at him for some time before looking down at her computer. "Right. I'll look him up for you."

Hope nodded in thanks and watched her carefully. The more he studied the younger girl, the more he began to believe Noel's theory. Hope wasn't one to simply assume things with no evidence at all, but he did have a strange feeling as the time went on about Alyssa. What really hit him was when she mentioned Lightning with the purple haired man.

"He's in building D. Room 73."

"Thanks Alyssa." His eyes moved to her arm as it moved underneath the desk. She pulled something out of her pocket and tried to maneuver it without looking. "See you around."

Hope walked out of the building, his heart racing. _'She's working with him. There's no doubt.' _She had tried to sneakily pull out her phone from her pocket and alert the purpled hair man. His mind couldn't make a correct thought. He knew Caius would be waiting for him now. He would surely want something from the younger boy since he had been alerted and Hope knew that he wouldn't be getting out of the situation easily. Either way, he couldn't back down now, no way. He was doing this for Lightning. The girl he had fallen in love with. Hope couldn't stand seeing her broken down and hurt. He wanted Lightning to go back to how she was when he first met her. Calm, cool, and collected. Not someone who is constantly paranoid and is forced to do everything someone says. He knew that wasn't Lightning.

The silver haired boy wasn't exactly sure how he was going to get Caius to stop, let alone if he even could. _'Snow.'_ He thought to himself. _'I know we're still not good friends but, he could really help me.' _The boy thought about it for a moment, knowing that he wanted to take down the purpled haired man by himself but didn't want to get killed because of it. Snow would fight with him because of what he did to Serah. Even though Hope wanted to show how strong and how much he cared about Lightning, he knew he couldn't do it alone.

With his cellphone pressed to his ear, Hope began walking towards building D, which was on the far side of the campus. He took a deep breath when it began ringing.

"Hello?" Snow's voice was tired sounding.

"Hey Snow. Uh, sorry if I woke you but I need your help with something." Hope lifted his arm up and checked the yellow watch that was tight around his wrist. It was still early.

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"I'm going to make Caius leave Lightning alone.. And.. And I know I can't do it myself." The silver haired boy hoped his voice didn't sound too desperate.

"Woah, Woah, you can't do it yourself is right. What are you planning to do, Hope?"

Hope looked down and stopped walking for a minute. His eyes scanned the horizon and he sighed. "I don't know. That's why I'm asking you for help. I can't stand seeing Lightning like this and the only way to make her happy again is to stop Caius."

"Hope, listen. I'll help you for sure. He needs to be punished for what he did to Serah. But don't do anything on your own okay? Where are you?"

"I'm right outside the housing building." He walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.

"Okay, I'll be there in a couple minutes. I'm serious Hope, don't move."

The boy nodded to himself and hung up. He put the phone back in his pocket and sighed, leaning back on the bench. This wasn't what he originally planned. But if he wanted to help Lightning and make her happy again, he wanted to make sure he was alive when it happened. He hoped that him and Snow would be enough to take Caius down. If not, he could always get Noel to join in. Whatever it took to make Lightning happy, he was going to do it.

A few minutes later, the blonde came walking down the small pathway to the bench. He looked down at the younger boy as he stood up. "Thanks Snow.."

"Hey, don't mention it." The blonde put his hand on Hopes shoulder. "He needs to be taught a lesson anyway."

"Lightning's out somewhere with Noel. So we have to make this quick. She told me not to leave the room."

"Not like her to leave you alone, especially now. Well, let's not waste any time!" Snow pounded his fists together.

The two boys walked together towards building D. It was an understatement to say that the walk was not awkward. Hope hadn't gotten on great terms with Snow, though he didn't dislike the man as much as Noel had. After all, Snow was going to be married to Serah, so if he was going to stay with Lightning, he would probably have to get used to the older man being around. And Hope had to admit that he really wasn't all that bad.

Hopes heart began racing as they walked into the building. "What room?" Snow asked.

"Room 73. That should be at the top, right?" Hope asked as he looked at the older boy.

"Right."

They continued down the hallway and to the stairs. Hopes hands were shaking. Both with fear and rage. He was more than ready to put an end to Caius's torment. He had been hurting Lightning since she came back in October and possibly before then. When the reached the door to the top floor he nodded to himself and pushed open the door. Hope balled his fists and walked faster down the hallway.

"Woah, Hope wait up!" Snow called out to him as he caught up with the younger one.

"S-Sorry.. Guess I'm just ready to get this over with." He said as he looked down, tapping his fingers together.

"Don't get ahead of yourself kid." The blonde ruffled his hair before walking forward in front of him.

Hope watched as Snow headed down the hallway. He quickly caught up to the blonde and pushed his silver bangs out of his face.

"Number 73 right? This is it." Snow pounded his fists together again and smirked. "Time to pay Caius."

Hope nodded in agreement. "Let's go." But as soon as the blonde put his hand on the door, Hopes cellphone rang. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

The silver haired boy looked up at Snow who gave him a confused look. "Hello?" The boys voice was rather quite, considering they were right in front of Caius's room.

"Hope where the hell are you?"

He pulled the phone away from his ear as Lightnings voice screamed through. Snow put his hand on the boys shoulder and led him a couple doors down, putting a finger over his own lips indicating to keep it down.

"I'm just out with Snow.. It's fine Light. I'm fine."

"Why are you with him? What are you two doing?"

Hope knew that Light had every right to be concerned. Obviously, she didn't trust the older boy all the way and having them be together was quite odd. "We're doing some homework." He knew that the pink haired girl could hear the lie in his voice.

"Bullshit. You didn't have any homework. What are you really doing?"

He sighed and leaned against the wall. "I'm.. I'm going to stop Caius from bothering you."

"You're what? Hope, what are you thinking?"

Before the silver haired boy could answer, Snow grabbed the phone from him and put it up to his own ear. "Sis, relax. He's perfectly fine with me alright? Don't worry, he's going down." Snow smirked and leaned against the wall like the younger boy. "Light.. Really calm d-." The blonde sighed and closed the phone. "She hung up. Says she's coming to get us." He tossed the phone back at Hope, who barely caught it.

"She's coming here?" His voice was laced with worry.

"That's what she said." Snow waved his hand and sighed. "Let's hurry up and get this done before she gets here. I'd rather not deal with her pissed. Not pretty."

Hope nodded and followed the blonde as he walked back to room 73. His hand was on the knob and he turned it. As if expecting it was locked, he pushed it hard, practically knocking it off its hinges as the door swung open.

"Well, that was easier than expected."

Snow walked in the room first, Hope shortly followed in. It was odd, he expected the room to be more homey. But instead, there was practically nothing in there. Only one bed and a desk.

"You, uh, sure this is the right room?" Snow asked as he walked further in.

"That's what they told me."

He watched as the blonde as he went over to the closet and opened it. "There's nothing even in here. What the fuck is this guy doing?"

"You mean, there's nothing in here?"

"Not a single thing!" The blonde slammed the closet door closed and sighed. "There's no way anyone lives here."

Hope looked down at the ground and frowned. Then he realized what had happened. Alyssa had given him the wrong room. It was so obvious now. Why in the world would she give him the right room. _'God I'm so dumb!' _Hope wanted to hit himself for being so blind. But that still doesn't explain why she had her phone out. _'Maybe it wasn't Caius she was texting.. Maybe I was just being paranoid.. No that had to be Caius.' _

"I know what happened." Hope said, looking up at the blonde who had moved closer to him.

"Hope!"

The boy turned around at the sound of his name. Lightning came walking in the door and immediately over to him. Her arms wrapped around him tightly. His eyes widened and his cheeks turned bright red. He also noticed that she smelled different. Not entirely different but not the normal rose smell she normally had. But he decided to not focus on that and hug the girl back.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Her voice was much more sincere than he had ever heard before.

"Nothing happened.. I'm fine." He nodded at her and gripped her hand as she took his. A second later, Noel and Serah came into the room.

"Serah!" Snow walked over to the younger pink haired girl and hugged her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you were okay silly!"

Hope walked over to Noel, still holding his crushes hand tightly. "You were right. Alyssa is working for Caius, at least I'm pretty sure."

"I knew it!" Noel put his hands behind his head. "She was definitely too suspicious. How'd you find out?"

"Well, I went to the housing office and she was there. I asked her to tell me Caius's room number. She just looked at me really weirdly then gave me this address. And as Snow and I have already found out, there's no one here, at all. Not to mention on my way out she took out her phone under the table and texted someone."

"Well let's get out of here incase he is living here." Noel said, letting his hands fall.

Hope took a breath and looked at the ground for a minute. "Yeah."

The walk back was better than he thought it would be. Lightning was calmer than she was on the phone, thankfully. She still held his hand tightly as they walked. Hope frowned to himself. He had come so close to doing what he wanted to do. He should have said he wanted to find Caius and put a stop to everything once and for all, but with Lightning there, he doubted that such a thing would be aloud. Besides, he wanted to do it without her help. He didn't want her to get hurt or anything like that. He felt that he was letting not only Lightning down, but himself.

Snow and Serah said goodbye when they passed by their dorms. Snow had pulled the silver haired boy over to the side and told him to call him anytime he wanted to continue their plan or simply wanted to talk. The blonde reassured the younger one that he was always there for him, no matter what he needed. Hope smiled and nodded, running to catch up with Noel and Lightning again.

"Where were you two this morning anyway?" He asked when he reached the them.

"Nowhere." Lightning said quickly, giving Noel a small glare as he opened his mouth.

Seeing how the pink haired girl reacted, he decided not to ponder on the topic. The three walked back to their dorm room. When the reached their hallway, Noel went off with one of his soccer friends as the other two walked into the room.

"Light, what's wrong?" He asked as he noticed the girl standing by the door, obviously something bothering her. "I'm sorry I left.. I just.. I hate seeing you like this. I can't stand it. I don't want you to be in danger anymore."

She bit her bottom lip slightly, and sighed. "I know Hope. But I can't let you go after him. He'll kill you the second he has the chance."

He frowned, knowing that she was right. He could easily kill him and anyone else that stood in his way to get to Lightning. He had complete control over her. "Then let's fight this together. All of us. He's hurting us all, making us turn against each other. If we go against him together, then we should be able to stop him."

A part of Hope was disappointed in himself, not using his strength to do what he truly wanted to. "Hope.. I don't know.. I.."

He watched as the pink haired girls eyes went wide. "Light?" She covered her mouth and ran into the bathroom.

Hope walked in after her. She was sprawled out in front of the toilet, her head hanging over it and the sound of gagging coming from her mouth. He quickly walked over to her and pulled her hair back. He frowned at watched her as she continued to vomit into the small porcelain toilet. Once the wave seemed to have passed he sat down next to her and rubbed her back.

"Still feeling sick?" He was slightly worried, realizing she could have the flu or a stomach bug.

"I'm fine." She said as she wiped her mouth with a washcloth and leaned back against the cabinets. As she did so however, a box fell out of her coat pocket, making a rattling sound on the floor.

Hope picked it up and read the label. His eyes widened immediately. _'A pregnancy test?' _His heart skipped at least three beats as he continued to stare at the box before it was forcefully ripped out of his hands by Lightning.

"Light.."

"It's nothing!" Her whole face lit up bright red and her body turned away from the younger boy. She threw the box up on the counter and pulled her legs up to her chest.

"Are you.." He couldn't even finish the sentence, he was so confused, shocked, scared, probably every emotion possible.

"I.. I don't know." Her voice was calmer and gentler. "That's where I was. I went the day I first got sick. My period is late and.. I took a test already but the doctor said it could be a false positive or something like that."

He didn't know what to say or even what to do. Hope stared at the floor for a while before turning to the girl who was still curled up. "Take it again."

She blushed once again and looked at him. "The doctor said it could be another week or two before it shows up positive, if I even am pregnant."

"Well we'll get another one then."

After a moment, she sighed and stood up, taking the stick from the box and pulling down her pants and underwear. Her face was still pink as she sat down, obviously embarrassed at the situation. Once she was finished she practically threw the test back on the counter and sat down next to him. Hope bit his lip and watched her. He was almost scared to say anything, afraid he might offend or upset her. They simply waited in silence. A few minutes later, Hope stood up and flipped over the stick.

His eyes squinted as he looked at the small screen. "What's two lines mean?"

Lightning shot up from her position and took the stick out of his hand. Her eyes scanned it and she dropped it into the sink before practically running out of the bathroom.

"Hey, Light!" Hope walked after her and grabbed her arm right as she reached for the main door. "What does that mean?"

Her eyes didn't meet his as she turned around. "It's positive. I'm.. Pregnant." She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. "This cannot be happening."

Hope let go of her arm and pulled her into a hug. It was obvious that she was not only hurt by the situation but was almost it seemed, ashamed of herself. He knew his crush, this was the last thing she wanted. But he couldn't help but feel the need to make good out of the diagnosis.

"It'll be okay.."

"No it won't!" Her arms pushed at him, making him stumble back. "You have no idea how this will affect me! Serah, I have to look after her and make sure she's safe. How the hell can I do that when I'm pregnant let alone with a child! I have to keep you safe too! And make sure Snow doesn't fuck up anything. And let's not forget about Caius who's trying to fucking kill me!"

Hope was taken back but the outburst, not sure what to say. "You want to know what's the worse part? It could be yours, or Caius's. I won't know."

"Light.."

"Forget it Hope. You don't understand. I can't have a kid. You can't either."

That was all she said before she bursted out of the room. Hope stood still in his spot she had pushed him in. He gulped and ran his hand through his hair. It was obvious that Lightning was not, at all happy about her being pregnant. There was not one positive word that came out her mouth during her rant. Hope walked over and sat on his bed, putting his head in his hands and sighing.

"Shit."

As much as he agreed with the fact that a baby would certainly not be what the two wanted, especially at a time like this, he couldn't help but let his morals get in the way. Lightning may have been unhappy about it, but Hope thought that every child should have a chance at life, despite the parents situation. Even if that meant giving the child up for adoption, he wanted to give it a life.

Hope stood up and ran out of the room. It wasn't until he ran passed the courtyard that he saw a flash of pink hair out of the corner of his eyes.

"Light!" He quickly ran over to her, slowing down once he reached the bench she was sitting on. "Light, we need to talk. Please."

"Whatever." She crossed her arms and looked away.

"Listen, I know you're not happy about this, it's obvious, believe me, but just hear me out okay?" She gave a quick look over at him before returning her gaze to the side. "I know you don't want a baby, let alone to be pregnant, but.. If it is mine.. I want it to at least have a life. Even if it's Caius's, it didn't do anything wrong, the baby has no control over things like this. It wouldn't be right to just.. Abort it without even a chance at having a good life." He took a deep breath and reached over, taking the pink haired girls hand, uncrossing it and holding it. "Even if we give it up for adoption, just please, let it have a chance."

There was a long silence between the two before Lightning responded. "I'll think about it. I won't get an abortion yet, but there's still the possibility."

There was a loud vibrate before either of them could say anything else. Lightning took her phone out of her pocket and put it to her ear. "Hello?" She straightened up and gripped the silver haired boys hand tightly as she looked over at him. "Caius has Noel.."

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_**A/N: Wahh! I tried to get this done earlier, since its almost 1am here, but I was just so busy! Anywho~ this story is slowly coming to an end, which upsets me greatly. I'm thinking there will most likely be only 3 or 4 more chapters left but they'll probably be longer than all of the previous ones, so possibly less. Also, saying that, expect the update time to be a little later, probably four days since the chapters are going to be almost double as long! **_

_**I'm also beginning to write the new plot for my next story, but I shall let you all know a little more about it next chapter!** _


	17. Chapter 17

_**Warnings: This chapter contains: Language, and Violence.**_

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Hope stared at the girl in disbelief. _'This has got to be a joke..' _It was bad enough that he had just found out his crush, who hadn't said yes to a relationship, was now pregnant with either his or Caius's baby, but now his best friend and almost brother was taken by the purple haired man. _'This cannot be happening.'_ Lightning stood up and put her phone to her ear and her hand on her hip.

"Snow. Bring Serah to the courtyard. There's something we need to do." The pink haired girl didn't say anything else and simply slammed her phone shut.

The silver haired boy stood up. "What are we going to do? We have to go help him." Hope's voice was laced with worry and fright. He couldn't believe that Noel had gotten taken. The brunette had done anything wrong.

"We'll wait till Snow and Serah get here, then we'll go. This is enough."

The two waited only a few minutes before the couple came running over to them. "What's up, Sis?" Snow said as he held Serah close.

"Caius took Noel."

Hope clenched his fist and ground his teeth. "Enough is enough. I've had it with Caius! None of us have done anything wrong but he keeps.. He keeps doing this things to us!" The silver haired boy looked at the three as the stared at him. "We've got to put a stop to this! He's controlling us, making us all do what he wants us to do. We can't let him continue." Hope's breath was shallow as his eyes scanned back and forth between the friends.

A couple seconds past before Snow pulled away from Serah and punched his fist up in the air. "I'm with you all the way Hope. Let's take him down." He pet him on his shoulder and smiled. Hope laughed softly and nodded before looking over at Lightning who had a small smile on her lips and nodded.

"I'm in too. Caius is no match for us!" Serah said happily, her ponytail swinging as she nodded her head.

"Right." Hope said nodded. "Light, do you have any idea where he is?"

She nodded. The group discussed what they were going to do before heading towards where they needed to go. Hope was almost as nervous as he was earlier in the day. Though he was more than happy that they were finally going to try and put a stop to the chaos that has been playing games with them since November. His mind was still on the fact that Lightning was pregnant, but he knew taking care of Caius was the first thing they needed to do. They walked for what seemed like an hour. Where they were was on the edge of campus. A large deserted warehouse was now in front of them.

"Woah, what is this place?" Snow asked as they stopped in front of the building.

Hope stared at it for a moment. _'I think I know what this is..' _His eyes widened. This had been where he was taken when Caius took him. But there was something else about he building that made it seem odd to be on a prestigious college campus. It didn't fit. It's old, run down, abandoned look didn't seem to match with the rest of the brand new college buildings.

"What is this place? It's so old.." Serah said, stepping forward and looking in one of the broken windows.

"It used to be the old medical building. Where the students used to practice being in an actual hospital. It was abandoned when they built the new lab on the other side." The silver haired boy said, turning around to face his friends.

"Right. This is where Caius has been hiding out. It's where he had you." Lightning nodded towards the youngest boy. "It may not look functional, but he's got a pretty elaborate setup. We should all be careful. He knows we're coming so who knows what he's got in store for us."

With a deep breath, the four walked into the old building. It was creepy, the way that most of the wallpaper and paint was peeling off and all on the floor. The rooms and equipment was all still in place but looked worn down. There was an eerie feeling as they followed the pink haired girl through the rooms and hallways.

"Be careful, things fall a lot in here."

They continued down the long hallway, watching their steps and their surroundings. Hope wondered to himself how Caius could be possibly living in the run down building. The room he was in when he was taken looked like a perfectly new room, with lights and all. His eyes squinted as he hoped that Noel wasn't hurt or anything. It seemed like they walked forever. Down several flights of stairs and through long empty hallways. _'I didn't have to go through all this when I left..' _ He nearly ran into Lightning as she stopped at what was a dead end.

"What now, Sis?" Snow asked, pulling away from his fiancee some.

Lightning put her hand on the wall, running it along the chipping paint. Her eyes squinted and she stepped back. Hope watched her as she examined the wall for a few more seconds before turning to Snow.

"Knock the wall down." Her voice was monotone as she continued to look the blonde in the eyes.

"Uh, Light.. Why?" Snow stepped towards the wall and put his hand on it.

"Just do it."

After nodding to the pink haired girl, Snow kicked the wall, making a large hole in the middle. All of them coughed at the large amount of dust that emerged throughout the small section of the hallway. Once the dust cleared out so they could see, Snow and Lightning bean pulling more of the wall apart, making a larger hole before backing away. The hole was now big enough to fit each of them through it. Lightning walked in first, then Hope, Snow and Serah followed close after.

Hope looked around. The room they were now in was surely different then the rest of the building. There were lights on and what seemed like someone living there.

"No reason to go in the right way. Not like we've come to visit."

Lightning led the group through another several hallways. The silver haired boy walked faster to catch up with his crush. "Light.. Are you sure you should be doing this? I mean being pregnant.. What If you get hurt?" He made sure to whisper, not wanting Snow or Serah to hear.

"I'm not talking about that now, Hope. Let's take care of this then deal with that issue."

He frowned and kept walking next to the older girl. It wasn't nearly as long until they reach a door.

"Let me go first." Lightning said when Snow tried to go in front of her to open the door.

Before the blonde could protest, the girl pushed open the door. She lifted her arm to the side, stopping the rest of the group from passing in front of her. Hope waited, peering around in the large room. He instantly recognized the area. It was where he had come out of when Snow rescued him. Noel was close by, he could sense it. Once Lightning determined it was safe to go in she let her arm fall down and she stepped inside the room.

"How did he get this place to look livable?" The younger pink haired girl asked as she looked around.

"He's got connections."

The group spun around to the door they entered in. Hope's eyes squinted as he focused on the figure that walked through the doorway and into the room.

"You.." Lightning stepped in front of Hope. " What are you doing here?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" The figure took a step forward. "I've been watching you the whole time. I've always been with you. Now isn't any different." The girl giggled and tapped her chin. "Isn't that right, Hope?"

He ground his teeth together and clenched his fists. "I knew you were part of this, Alyssa!"

"Well of course I was." Despite the seriousness of the situation, the girl still acted the exact same. "Hope, I've had my eye on you and Noel since I began working here. But you two ignored me every time I tried to talk to you." She pouted and paced back and forth. "So when pinky here came along, I knew she was working with Caius so we paired you three together. Caius agreed to help me get back at you two for ignoring me."

Hopes eyes widened and his fists loosened. "You're kidding me right? You and Caius did all this just because Noel and I didn't say hi to you a few times?" The silver haired boy couldn't believe what he was hearing. All the things that had happened to the group was because of something like that?

"Forget about that. Where's Noel?" Lightning said.

Alyssa giggled and slapped the main door shut, breaking off the lock with her foot. "Don't worry, he's fine. But you don't get to see him yet."

"Look, I don't know who the hell you are but we're here to get Noel and put a stop to this shit!" Snow moved forward, standing next to Hope.

The silver haired boy looked back at Serah, who was standing with one hand over her heart and her eyes gazing down to the floor. Hope slipped back to stand next to her. "It's okay. We'll get Noel." He said, trying to comfort the girl the best he could.

"He doesn't deserve this." Her hand dropped and she looked up at the older boy before walking past him and standing next to Snow. Hope smiled and took his place back next to the older pink haired sister.

"Mm that's too bad. See I would let you go.." Alyssa grabbed her chin in her fingers. "But that wouldn't help me at all."

"Knock it off, Alyssa!" The silver haired boy was getting impatient now. He wanted this to end once and for all and get Noel back. It had only been less then an hour since the time he left from trying to track Caius down last time. Hope couldn't take it anymore. Enough was enough.

"You're so cute when you get angry Hope." She giggled and put her hands behind her back. "Too bad I'm going to have to kill you."

Blue-green eyes widened as the words left the blonde girls lips. He stood still as he watched her reach in her back pocket and pull out a gun. Instead of moving or saying something, he simply stayed still, not knowing what to do. His eyes closed and his head shook as he blocked out everything around him. This is not what he had wanted when he set out on this mission. He only wanted to stop Caius and get Noel back. The last thing he wanted was it to cost his life, which now, it seemed to be that way. Hope tried to think back to what Alyssa had said about the two roommates ignoring her. It seemed like a ridiculous reason to do all of the hurt and harm that had been done.

The next thing he realized was the lights shutting off. There was another loud noise that sounded like something powering off. Hope opened his eyes to see nothing but darkness. There was no windows to let the rays of light in, no other lights from the outside hallway to shine in under the door, nothing. Complete darkness and for a second, complete silence. He realized that he had been zoned out for the last few seconds, not feeling the warmth of bodies around him like he had before.

"Lightning?" His voice was quiet and shaky.

"I'm right here Hope." The girl said as she grabbed his arm.

"What happened? Where's Snow and Serah?"

"They're fine. They went to take care of Alyssa. We have to go get Noel."

Hope didn't have time to ask what had happened to the lights before he was being pulled by the older girl. He personally couldn't see anything, apparently though, Lightning could see perfectly fine. He was pulled through what seemed like several rooms before his eyes went to a sliver of light that was coming from under what looked like a door. When they got closer, Lightning let go of his hand and from what Hope could tell, she kicked open the door. The large door fell forward, letting the light shine in. Hope squinted his eyes at the brightness and covered his face with his arm.

"Hope, Lightning!"

The silver haired boy recognized his friends voice and quickly let his arm fall and his eyes open. "Noel!" Hope ran into the room that he recognized as the one he had been kept in.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt right?" Lightning asked as she stepped in after Hope, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

"I'm fine." The brunette said with a wave of his hand. "What about you two?"

"We're fine." The pink haired girl turned around, watching the door.

"You'll never believe the reason for all this." Hope almost laughed at how ridiculous he found it all. "Alyssa's working with Caius because we ignored her when she tried to talk to us."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Noel ran his hand through his hair. "She's a fucking psycho." He shook his head and put a hand on his hip. "Let's just get this over with before anything else crazy happens."

Hope nodded and smiled, relieved that his friend was fine and now safe. The two followed Lightning through the dark rooms again. The three stayed close together, fearing one of them would be taken easily because of the dark. Hope squinted his eyes and stopped walking, grabbing both Noel and Lightnings arms.

"What is it Hope?" Noel said as he stopped.

"Someones coming."

He didn't know what came over him but there was an overwhelming feeling of someone watching them. He could see the silhouettes of his friends looking around the room aimlessly. Almost a second later his eyes widened and he pulled the two down to the floor. Lightning gasped softly as she was pulled down but was drowned out by the sound of a gunshot. Hopes eyes were wide as the sound died down. Deciding what he had to do, he stood up.

"We've got to go." He tried to say calmly as he held on tightly to his friends arms and pulled them through the room Several more shots were heard as they ran. When they were almost to the door, there was a loud banging noise. Hope stopped running and let go of his friends arms. The lights flickered on, making the room bright. They all covered their eyes with their arms as they let themselves get used to the brightness. Once Hope's eyes adjusted, he removed his arm and looked in the direction that footsteps could be heard.

There was a low chuckle that echoed through the large empty room. Hope's eyes locked on the figure walking towards the trio.

"Caius!" Noel yelled, stepping in front of the silver haired boy. "Stop this shit right now!"

The purple haired man stopped walking when he was about ten feet from the group and put a hand on his hip. "Good to see you again, Claire. I see you've rescued your friend and brought Mr. Estheim along with you. And let's not forget the lovely couple you've brought along too." Caius snapped his fingers and the lights went off again, leaving the room in complete darkness.

Hope felt a hand grab him and pull him close, he almost screamed when he realized it was Lightning. The trio stood close as the silence and darkness took over once again. A few seconds later, they heard another snap, making the lights turn on. He looked around to find Caius sitting in a chair, his legs crossed and his arm resting on the side. Next to him however, was a more surprising sight. Alyssa was seated on the other arm rest, her hands in her lap and a smirk on her lips.

"Alyssa, why are you doing this? Why are you working with him?" Noels voice echoed throughout the room.

"He agreed to help me with whatever I wanted." Her signature giggle left her lips. "Without him, I wouldn't be doing a lot of the things I am."

"I don't care what you think we did to you or whatever the fuck is going through your mind, this needs to stop."

"Wouldn't be so mean Noel, or else a certain blonde will have to find out that you kissed his fiancee. I wonder how he'd take that."

Noels eyes widened and his cheeks turned pink. Hope turned and looked at his friend but was blocked by Lightning as she moved in front of him.

"You kissed my sister?" Her voice was harsh.

"Light. We're not here for this. We'll deal with it later." Hope pleaded as he feared that Noel would get an anything but gentle slap in the face. He shot a glance at Noel who gave him a relieved look. Giving him a glare, Lightning turned back around to face the two who were still seated on the chair.

"Why do you keep doing this Caius? I'm fine with you doing these things to me, but why did you have to bring them into it? They did nothing to you! I gave you everything you've asked for so why can't you just leave them alone?"

Hope began to walk up next to the pink haired girl when her arm shot out, pushing him back on the ground. Her head turned slightly to look at him on the ground. "This isn't your battle. It's mine."

"Light.." He was almost positive her name couldn't have been heard by anyone other than himself. He was pulled up by the brunette and his mouth turned into a frown.

"Sure you want to do that pinkie? Won't it hurt the baby?" Alyssa giggled softly and gave her smirk to the pink haired girl.

"Claire, why don't you come here?" Caius said waving his finger at her.

"You wish. I'm not going anywhere near you. I'm done with you Caius." Lightning snapped.

Not another word was said before Caius snapped his fingers, making the room go dark again. Hopes eyes widened, knowing that Lightning would most likely be gone when the lights came back on. His hand reached out in search for her but only found Noel. When they heard another snap, the light flickered on and Hopes eyes went directly to the chair that Caius and Alyssa had been sitting on. However, this time Lightning was propped on the purple haired mans lap.

"Lightning!" Hope ran over to the two only to be kicked back by the blonde girl.

He hit the floor hard, making a loud thumping sound. He was quickly pulled up by Noel. "You okay?"

Hope nodded and rubbed his head before turning to look back at the three that were seated on the chair. Caius had his hand wrapped around Lightnings neck, his other hand on her hip. His lips were pressed against her ear, kissing it gently. Hope felt rage running through his veins. Al

"Let her go Caius!" The silver haired boy stepped closer, not caring if he was going to be kicked down again by Alyssa. He wanted Lightning to be left alone. Thats all that was on his mind.

"Why are you doing this?' The pink haired girls voice was desperate. "I know its not about the drugs anymore."

"I'll tell you why." His voice was dark and deep. "You killed my sister. I watched it before my eyes as you shot her down. I remember the event like it was yesterday. You killed her along with dozens of innocent victims!" His grip on her neck tightened and the pink haired girl gasped for breath. "I'm going to make you suffer the same why you made her suffer!"

Hope wanted to lunge at the purple haired man but was held back by Noels arm. It must have been a lie. Lightning wouldn't kill anyone. She wasn't like that. The pink haired girl may have been cold and unphased by emotions when they first met, but now he knew that she wasn't truly like that. It was a shield she put up. It was her guard to protect herself from harm.

But despite his knowledge of Lightning, the pink haired girl remained silent. He could she her taking in his words, one by one, letting them sink into her skin. Hope took a moment to try and calm himself down, knowing that simply yelling wouldn't solve anything.

"I-I'm sorry." Lightnings voice was soft, Hope himself could barely hear it.

Caius's laugh echoed through the room once again. "Don't fool yourself, Claire. You couldn't care less. You didn't care the time it happened and you don't now. You killed dozens of citizens that day. Each one of them you don't care about. It was your job right? No reason to feel bad." His tone was mocking. "Even though it was unethical, you still did it because your precious job is worth more than those innocent children."

Hope almost gasped at his words. It hit him then. Lightning had mentioned that she was discharged from the corps but wouldn't tell him why. Her reasoning was to be closer to Serah but she simply would have quit. The pink haired girl had hid the real reason why she no longer in the Guardian Corps and now he was finally realizing it. She had apparently killed children. He still found it hard to believe the claim was true but the way she sat quietly made him believe it in part of his mind.

The silver haired boy closed his eyes, then opened them after taking a few more deep breaths, trying to avoid the gaze of the three sitting in the chair. He squinted his eyes then realized that Snow and Serah were supposed to be taking care of Alyssa, who was currently seated in front of them.

"Noel, go find Serah and Snow, make sure they're okay."

"But what about you?" The brunette asked, loosening the grip on his arm.

"I'll be fine." He nodded in reassurance. "They need you more than me. Make sure Serah's not hurt."

Noel nodded and ran off in the direction of the exit. The silver haired boy turned back into the direction of his crush. As soon as his eyes laid upon the pink haired girl, his arm was pulled back and his body spun around. Alyssa giggled and hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry about them. They're busy doing their own thing."

Hope pushed the girl off, making her fall on her back. She looked up at him with big watery eyes, like she was going to cry. But Hope knew it was all an act. He could have cared less about the girl at the moment, all he wanted was to make sure Lightning was safe. The way Caius had been holding her made his heart skip a beat when he turned back around. He had her hand on her thigh and his other still held tight around her neck.

"Caius, do you really think your sister would want you to kill someone?" Hope asked, deciding that standing there watching wasn't going to do much either.

The purple haired man stared at the younger boy for a few seconds. His grip on the girls neck loosened, letting Lightning gasp for breath and cough. "You think you know how my sister would have felt? How dare you try to make assumptions. My sister, Yeul, died because of a careless solider that went against the rules and caused her death! I will not leave any of you alone until I kill the person responsible for it."

Hope watched as he picked Lightning up by the collar of her jacket. His hand reached into his back pocket and pulled out a gun. Blue-Green eyes widened as he watched his crush struggle against the larger man. The silver haired boy quickly looked around for anything that could stop him since he knew that he was much smaller and weaker than the purple haired man. His eyes locked on the blonde girl that he had apparently knocked out. He knew that she had a gun on her earlier and he prayed that it was still with her.

When he reached his hand in her pocket he sighed in relief when he felt the cold metal against his fingers. He pulled the gun out and aimed it at the purple haired man who had his gun pointed at Lightning. With both of his shaky hands he aimed the metal weapon at the older man. _'You can do this Hope.. This is for Lightning..'_ The boy closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and taking a deep breath. Without thinking anymore he pulled the trigger, letting the shot echo through the room. There was a thump as Lightning fell to the ground. Hope dropped the gun on the floor, making it slide away. The silver haired boy ran over to his crush.

"Light! Are you okay?" Hope didn't bother to check if Caius had even been hit by the bullet, all he cared about was Lightning.

The older girl coughed and finally caught her breath. "I-I'm fine.."

He smiled brightly at the girls response. His hand went up to her cheek and cupped it before leaning down and pressing his lips against hers. She didn't kiss back much, but he didn't need her too. All he wanted is to make sure she was still there, she still wanted him, even through all of the things they had went through.

"Lightning.. I lo-"

"Hope watch out!"

The silver haired boy turned in the direction of his name. Noel was running in the room, along with Snow and Serah, he turned around to look what they were yelling about. Caius was directly behind him and his gun was pressed against his temple. Hope froze at the feel of the metal on his skin. Blue-green eyes closed in preparation of what was to come. He knew he was going to die, there was no denying it. Time seemed to be stopped as he waited for the older man to pull the trigger.

All of the sudden the world around him seemed to speed up as he heard a gun shot. Hope was sure it was Caius's going into his skull, but he felt no pain. His eyes cracked open to see what had happened. The silver haired boy was confused when he didn't see the older man in front of him anymore. His eyes gazed down to see the purple haired man lying in front of him. His stomach bubbling with blood and running off his limp body. The young boy simply stared at the scene in disbelief. His body was stiff and his mind was blank as he tried to swallow how close to death he came.

He felt arms wrap around his stomach from behind. He was positive it was Lightning by the way it felt. He gave into her arms and relaxed against her, grabbing her hands and holding them tightly. Hope continued to stare at the purple haired mans body as what he would assume was the Guardian Corps filed in and picked the man up. Once Caius was taken out of the room, his eyes turned towards Alyssa. She was conscious again and was currently being put in handcuffs, her grim expression on her face as she looked at him. The guards escorted her out of the room and Hope looked up at Noel who was standing next to him.

The brunette held his hand out when Lightning let her arms fall from around his waist. Hope reached up and grabbed his friends hand, letting him help him up. Noel looked at him for a few seconds before hugging him tightly. He closed his eyes and hugged him back just as tightly. When they opened, he slipped away from his roommate, giving him a smile. He looked over at the other three. Lightning and Serah were in a hug. Snow walked over to him and patted the silver haired boy on the shoulder, giving him a smile. Hope nodded and returned the smile.

"I'm so happy you all are okay." Serah said, holding her hands together.

"I'm glad you two are okay too." Hope smiled at the couple and nodded.

"Let's get out of here before anything else happens."

The brunette laughed softly at his own statement before leading the group out of the room. Once the other three were in front of him, Hope looked over at the pink haired girl. He bit his lip, realizing that he almost finally admitted his feelings to Lightning. Hope reached over and grabbed her hand softly as they began walking out of the room, several feet behind the other three.

"Light.." He said softly, looking over at her as they walked.

"I don't know how to thank you Hope.." She looked down at the floor, letting her bangs hand over her eyes. "You saved my life." When she turned to look at him, he realized her eyes were red and watery.

He frowned and stopped walking, letting go of her hand and pulling her into a hug. "You don't have to thank me. I did what was right. I couldn't stand there and watch you like that." He ran his hand though her pink hair, letting it run over his fingers.

"You guys coming or what?" Noel called back at them.

Lightning pulled away, quickly wiping her eyes before nodded at the brunette and grabbing Hope's hand as they began walking again. The silver haired boy bit his lip as they walked. _'I need to tell her.. But I want the time to be right..'_ They group walked back out of the abandoned building and out onto the campus. The pink haired sisters hugged each other once again before the couple parted ways with the trio. The walk back to the dorm was silent, none of them knowing what exactly to say to each other after such an event. All of them were lucky to get out alive.

Once they got back to the room, Lightning went into the bathroom, leaving the two boys out in the main room. Hope walked over to the brunette and smiled softly at him. "I'm really glad you're safe Noel. I don't know what I would have done if you were hurt."

"Hey, I'm perfectly fine. You think I would let Caius put a hand on me?" Even at the seriousness of the subject Noel laughed and put his hand on his hip. "I'm really impressed by you Hope. I didn't know you had that kind of anger in you."

"Hah, I guess in the time of need, that kind of stuff comes out right?"

"But you did the right thing, really. I'm proud of you. You put a stop to all of this. It made me happy, and I know it made Light even more happy." His head nodded in the direction of the bathroom.

"I couldn't have done it without you though." He tapped his fingers together. "About Light.. Would you mind, maybe going over to Snow and Serah's for a bit? I.. I want to tell her I love her. I want it to be really romantic."

Noel laughed and shook his head. "No problem. It's about time anyway." Noel patted the silver haired boys shoulder. "I'll be back tonight then. Good luck."

Hope smiled and watched his roommate walk out. It was a satisfying feeling knowing they didn't have to worry about where the other went anymore, they were safe. He let his hands fall to his sides as Lightning came out of the bathroom. He held his breath, hoping she hadn't heard any of his and Noels conversation.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at her. The soft pink hair was up in a pony tail, her clothing had changed into her normal tank top and shorts, exposing her necklace and her part of her tattoo. _'I wonder what that symbolizes..' _His head tilted slightly as he pondered at the question.

"Hey.. Can I ask you something?"

Lightning looked up at him after letting her old clothing fall into the hamper and nodded. "Of course. What is it?"

The silver haired boy walked closer to her. "What does your tattoo mean?"

A small laugh left the girls lip, making Hope smile. "I'll tell you about that later." She grabbed his hand and led him to the bed, pulling him down next to herself.

Hope laid on his back, holding the girls hand softly, rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb. He took a deep breath before sitting up some then crawling on top of her. Lightning looked up at him, confusion was in her eyes.

"I need to tell you something.." His eyes were locked with hers as she nodded. A small tint of pink stained his cheeks as he silently took a deep breath in. "We've been through a lot together these last few months. I've gotten close with everyone, including you. And.. I..." Hope closed his eyes for a couple moments before opening them up again, reconnecting the eye contact with the girl below him. "I love you, Claire." He studied her face carefully and watched as her cheeks also tinted pink.

"Hope.. I love you too."

His mouth immediately turned up into a huge smile at the words. He leaned down and captured his lovers lips. His hands found their way on her sides while hers on his shoulders. Hope pulled his lips away and opened his eyes, looking into hers once again.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Lightning laughed softly and nodded, smiling. "I will."

The two kissed again, letting their love take them over. It was true, they had been through a lot together over the past moths, but if anything, it made Hope's feelings for the girl even stronger. He didn't care if she had killed someone, or anything about her past, because that was her _past_. He loved Lightning for who she was, the good, the bad, everything about her. There was nothing he didn't like about the girl. Everything about her was perfect to him. _Claire_ was perfect.

Hope crawled off the pink haired girl and got off the bed. His body shivered, now only in his underwear as he walked over to the light switch and flicked it off. His mouth curled into a smirk as he quickly walked over to the bed. Hope's lips quickly found Lightning's as he pulled the blankets over them.

It may not have been the perfect ending, but it was one that Hope would cherish forever. They stopped Caius, resolving all the torment that was being thrown at them. Hope had told Claire how he truly felt about her, the feeling welcomed and returned by the girl. There was still some bad. Serah still had cancer and Lightning was still pregnant. Lightning's fund was cut off, no longer having the money supply from Caius, meaning that she was still short of the money that she needed to help her sister get treatment. Noel, Hope, and Snow all agreed to donate money to her. Serah was all of their friends and each one of them wanted to do everything they could to help.

As for Lightning being pregnant, that was a different story. Hope still had no idea who the father was or whether or not the pink haired girl was going to carry it to full term. While there was a high possibility that Hope was the father, Caius could also be, which would destroy Lightning, Hope knew it. Either way, Hope decided he would love the child whatever the outcome. He still wasn't sure what he would do even if it was his. They still had two more years of college, Lightning only one. But they had no where proper to raise a child. And Hope, to be honest, wasn't sure if he was ready to care for a child. He was still so young and inexperienced.

But none of that mattered that night. The couple exchanged their 'I love you's' before Noel came back. The trio then spent most the night playing games and watching movies. It was an odd feeling to be able to be carefree again. Hope missed it greatly and he was more than grateful that it was back. There hadn't been as many smiles and laughters filling the room since the beginning of the school year. Each one of them was happy, safe, and free from the grips of chaos.

As the night winded down and many yawns filled the air, the couple returned to their beds and laid together, holding each others hands. Hope's eyes were closed when Lightning began to speak.

"My mother used to tell me a story when I was younger. She said that when you are lost and you've given up hope, these creatures would come and help you find your way. Each person had a different creature, each a different crystal, and when you needed to find your way when all is lost, they would show up. After your ordeal you would keep your crystal forever, symbolizing all of the hardships you've overcome."

Hopes eyes opened as she paused and looked over to the girl. "They come from your heart." Lightning placed her hand over her tattoo. "My mother told me my crystal would be a pink rose. When she died.. And I found out Serah had cancer.. I decided it was my time for hope. I had lost almost everything..I needed hope, I needed something telling me to go on. Now every time I see my tattoo, I think of her, my mother."

The girl paused again and looked over at the silver haired boy. "Now I will think of you as well. You are my hope. You are my pink colored rose."

**_FIN_**

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**A/N: Holy mother of goodness, I'm sorry it took so long, I had so many feels writing this, especially the ending! But before you all freak out at me because I said that there would be 2-3 more chapters, including this one, the next chapter is an _extra _and will be the _final _chapter of this story, and it will also be long like this one. **

**Also, sorry that to all Caius and Alyssa fans out there, I know I made them pretty mean but I had to for the story! (besides I don't really like Alyssa anyways, heh)  
**

**I just want to thank everyone who's been with this story the whole time, it makes me so happy that you all like it and have stuck with me for each and every chapter and also those of you who joined in later on. I cannot express my gratitude for every review I've gotten and every view and alert.  
**

**Thank you all so much for making my first story an amazing one!  
**


	18. Extra V: Congratulations

**_Warnings: This chapter contains; Language_**

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**_3 Months Later_**

"Happy birthday, Serah." Lightning smiled as she handed her sister a small pink box. The way the younger pink haired girl's eyes lit up made her smile.

"Nothing like a birthday party on the last day of school huh?"

She looked up when the blonde came back with a large plate full of cheeseburgers and set it on the table in front of them. Lightning laughed softly and nodded. "Better than having a birthday like mine, in the winter." She reached forward, barely touching the plate, trying to grab herself one of the delicious looking burgers.

"Here babe, I'll get it."

Lightning sighed softly and nodded. She watched as the silver haired boy prepared her burger for her, just the way she liked it. Her mouth curled up into a small smile as he set the plate down in front of her. Before beginning to eat, she looked around at the table. Hope, her boyfriend, and love, was seated next to her, his hand gently placed on her thigh. Next to Hope was Noel, the boy had eagerly already finished half of his burger. Next to him, was Serah. Her small pink box had yet to be opened and was seated right next to her plate. And finally there was Snow.

Everyone had been wonderful since the incident with Caius and Alyssa. Though they did find out that Caius hadn't died from the bullet and had spent the month in the hospital before being transported to jail on the other side of Palumpolum. Alyssa had been fired from her job and banned from coming anywhere near the college. While it wasn't exactly what they had hoped for, it was surely better than nothing at all. They had been informed that there would be guards to watch over them for the rest of the school year incase anyone else on the campus had been working with the two.

The school year went well after wards as well. Hope had aced all his finals, maintaing his number one student status. Noel had changed his major to criminal justice and was doing great in his courses. Lightning had continued taking her one class, developing a desire for a medical career. She wanted nothing more than to find a cure for her sisters cancer. Luckily, she had been well for the rest of the school months, making the whole group have a relieved feeling.

"Serah open your gift!" Noel laughed and pointed at the small box next to her plate. "Let's see what it is."

She nodded and smiled, her pink ponytail swung in front of her shoulder as she picked the box up. Her hands quickly opened it, smiling in amazement as she laid eyes on her present. "Oh Light! They're so cute." She turned the box around, revealing two silver cat earrings. "Thank you so much!"

Lightning laughed softly and let her head fall to the side. "You're welcome."

"Snow, it's like your necklace." She giggled and took the earrings out of the box and began putting them in.

"Hey, you're right. Guess you're official NORA material now." The blonde laughed and wrapped his arm around the younger pink haired girl, pulling her close and kissing her forehead.

The older pink haired girl smiled at them then began to take small bites of her burger. "Better eat up, you know who's probably hungry." Hope began rubbing her thigh softly, watching her.

"I know, I know, I feel him."

In the last few months, Lightning had learned to accept the fact that she was pregnant. It still was an uneasy topic to bring up, but she was getting used to it. The only person she truly felt comfortable talking about it with was with Hope. Who, they had learned right after the incident, that it was indeed his child. The ultrasound about a week after everything calmed down, had confirmed that the child was almost three months along, which would surely make it Hope's child. It made Lightning want to carry the child even more, knowing it wasn't Caius's.

She didn't want to admit it, but she was somewhat looking forward to seeing what the child would come out to look like. Would it have pink hair like hers? Or grey like Hopes? His green-blue eyes or her aquamarine ones? She was slightly embarrassed that she had thoughts such as those, considering she was so against having a child. But she couldn't help wonder now that they were certain it was Hopes. They were also certain that it was a baby boy.

The couple had yet to decided if they were going to keep the young child or put it up for adoption. They still had school to do but because of Hope's academic achievements they had offered to give them a private, bigger dorm once the child was born. But Hope didn't want to leave Noel behind and asked if Noel would be able to come along with them. Lightning agreed that it would be good to have the brunette with them as well. They were all friends and because of their different schedules it would work out well when trying to take care of the baby.

Lightning finished her food in the few minutes that passed. She shook her head at the burps that came out of Snow and Noel's mouth, both high fiving each other afterwards. Her blue eyes smiled at her sister. Even though she was sick, she still was always happy. It made Lightning jealous that she herself couldn't be like that.

As the sun set and the air began to get cooler, Noel lit a fire in the stone fire pit that was in the middle of their circle. The fire warmed their bodies as it began to heat the surroundings. Hope and Lightning were seated together, his arm around her back and her head on his shoulder. He occasionally kissed her forehead as they sat together.

"God you couples make me sick." Noel said, laughing and shaking his head.

"Don't worry Noel, you'll find someone." Serah said smiling.

The situation between the brunette and the younger pink haired girl had went back to normal. Lightning had scolded the younger boy for kissing her sister but soon forgave him as he told her what had happened. She and Hope both knew that he still had feelings for her, but was trying to ignore them. After all, they had spent more time together in the last few months than Snow and her had. It was obvious that something would have occurred.

Noel had gone to bed already around midnight along with Snow and Serah. They all were moving out and back home in the morning and needed rest. Lightning and Hope were still seated by the slowly burning out fire.

"You tired?" He asked, running his hand back and forth softly on her side.

"A little. Do you mind if we just stay here for a few more minutes?"

The silver haired boy nodded and held her close, continuing to rub her side. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you smile as much as you did today." Hope said as he kissed her cheek.

She laughed breathily and closed her eyes. "Serah made it another year. It's something to be happy about."

"She'll get better Light. I know she will. We almost have enough money now to pay for all of her treatments." His hands ran through her pink hair. "Serah's strong. She can get through anything."

Lightning smiled at the words of encouragement from her boyfriend. Her eyes looked up at him, meeting his blue-green ones. The pink haired girl leaned up and kissed him softly. She couldn't deny that she was always happy when he was around. It scared her at the same time. She hated being able to show emotions and let her guard down. People could so easily break you down. But Hope, he was different to her. She knew after all the time they had known each other that he cared for her. No matter what she did, he was always there and he would never leave. She may have sounded like a teenage girl who just got her first boyfriend, but that was the way she felt. Lightning didn't need to be the cautious, afraid, person that she was before. Hope made her realize that. It was okay to trust people.

His lips were soft against hers, making her kiss him harder. Hope grabbed her legs and swung them over on his lap, pulling her closer. A small gasp came from her lips as he pulled her on his lap.

"Hope.. You know I cant.."

The couple had agreed to lay off the sex until after the baby was born. It not only was uncomfortable but Lightning was self conscious about how she looked. Now, five months along, she was showing quite a bit. She didn't even like to shower because she found it too embarrassing. Though just because they didn't have sex didn't mean that they didn't fulfill their urges other ways.

"I know but I just can't help myself babe." His cheeks blushed a dark pink and he pulled away, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's fine." The pink haired girl yawned and looked up at him. "Want to go back to the room? I'm getting pretty tired."

He nodded and helped her stand up, holding her hand. The two put out the fire completely before beginning to walk back to their dorm. They walked slowly, looking up at the sky and smiling. Everything looked so beautiful from where they were. The city was a few hours away, leaving them just in the country side. The dim glow from Eden could be seen in the sky, making it light up like a moon. Once they reached the door, they shared another kiss before Hope pulled out his key and open the door.

It was odd to see the room with almost nothing in it. All of them had packed their things, ready to leave the campus early in the morning. Lightning had been so kind as to let Hope stay with her for the summer. Noel had denied her offer, claiming he wouldn't want to hear the two having sex. Instead, Snow offered him a room at NORA house, letting them all be close together.

Hope grabbed the pink haired girls hand and led her to the bed. The lights were dim, Noel was curled up in his sheets, only a bit of his hair showing. Lightning sat down slowly and laid back as the silver haired boy did the same. She reached down and pulled off her shorts and her top, throwing them on the floor, too tired to properly put them away. Hope pulled his shirt and bottoms off as well as he pulled the blanket over them.

"Hey Claire?"

She blushed at her real name. It was still unsettling for her that someone other than Serah knew it. But Hope never used it unless they were alone and he wanted to talk about something.

"Yeah?" Her head turned slightly towards the younger boy. "You never told me what happened with the accident.."

She bit her lip gently. It was something she hated talking about, but, Hope had asked many times and she had denied an answer, Lightning figured she would have to tell him eventually. "I had a mission at the Gapra Whitewood one day.. I was supposed to be looking out for an animal that had broken out of it's cage and was destroying parts of the wildlife. I thought I spotted it so I thought too fast and bombed it." She took a deep breath and then continued. "Apparently the school was on a trip to study the plant life there.. And.. I didn't check the area before hand.." Lightning closed her eyes and tightened her mouth.

She absolutely hated thinking about the situation. Guilt had consumed her body at the time and ever moment she reminded herself about it. "I wasn't.. I couldn't live it down. It was a complete accident.. I tried to explain myself but they wouldn't listen." She took a deep breath. "That's what happened." As the words left her lips, she felt a small flutter in her stomach and her eyes opened. Almost like an instinct, her hand went to feel the movement. Her eyes widened some as she felt a foot against her hand.

"What Is it?" Hope sat up some, concerned at the sudden hand down on her stomach.

Instead of saying anything, she grabbed his hand and put it next to hers. Another kick and more flutters and Hope gasped. The pink haired girl looked over at him, his lips had a smile on them and his cheeks had a small blush that could be seen, even in the dark.

"Guess he doesn't like you being upset." Lightning frowned slightly and looked down at the couples hands that were on her stomach. "Light.. It was just an accident. I know you feel bad about it." His hand grabbed hers, his long fingers fitting in the spaces between hers. "I know you'll never forget it or maybe not forgive yourself for it. But it's in the past now. You have to think of the future."

The girl knew he was right. No amount of grief or apology would change the past. What was done is done. She had to move on and learn from it. There was no doubt in her mind that the silver haired boy did know her inside and out and knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. She really did love him. The two held hands for a while longer before Lightning drifted off into sleep.

Lightning woke up to the smell of coffee and waffles. She felt a few flutters in her stomach and her eyes opened. Aquamarine eyes focused on the small table that had been placed next to the bed. It had a mug full of coffee and two waffles with cut strawberries on top. The pink haired girl smiled to herself and sat up some, looking around the room. Noel was currently knelt down at his suitcase, stuffing the remaining clothing in. She watched as he zipped it up, finally getting his clothing in and turned to her.

"Morning." He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "Hope's in the shower. Be sure to thank him for the food, it's amazing." The boy nodded towards her plate of food.

She nodded and scooted over to the table, letting her legs swing to the side of the bed and her feet touch the ground. The food smelled delicious. It tickled her senses as she picked up her silverware, delicately cutting her waffles into small pieces. The first bite was amazing. She knew Hope had to have made the food, it was too good to be the cafeteria's. Her stomach fluttered again as she took another bite, the baby obviously liking it. She smiled to herself and took a small sip of her coffee.

When she was about half way through her breakfast, Hope emerged out of the bathroom, his hair slightly damp. She continued eating as he walked over to her. "Enjoying it?"

She nodded in response. "It's great." Another smile appeared on her lips as she looked up at him. "Thanks."

"I packed the rest of your things for you. I left out an outfit for today, purple top, black shorts." Hope said as he sat down next to her.

After she finished her food, they washed the dishes and finished packing the remaining items in the room. Once they were sure they had everything, the three made their ways to the parking lot. Most of the school was also leaving at the time, making it had to navigate through the lot. Lightning blushed and tried to carry her bag over her stomach. It was not her favorite thing to go out in public. They walked over to her car, Noel opening the trunk and placing the bags in the back while Lightning and Hope got in the car. She was more than happy to be out of sight from the others.

Noel finished putting the bags in then slid in the backseat and they were on their way. It wasn't the most comfortable to drive, but it wasn't too bad. The drive was almost the same as it had been when they went on winter break. Though this time, they got home and slumped down on the couch and watched TV together.

Lightning had to admit that while the school year hadn't been that successful for her, she did bond with her roommates and even Snow, who she had despised before but now learned to tolerate him. She was more than happy to have let them into her life. The pink haired girl looked around the room at each of her roommates.

Hope; the boy who did everything for her, even when they had first only met. Not a day went by that he didn't care for her. It was an odd, new, feeling that she had never felt before, but a good one at that. While her pregnancy wasn't necessarily a good thing for her, she was happy it was Hope's, because honestly she couldn't think of anyone better.

Noel; A boy who she learned had a thing for her at the beginning but quickly dropped it as he figured out that his friend had a crush on her. He was always kind to her and looked out for not only her, but all for all of them. He shared a hatred for the blonde, which she found pleasing.

Overall, the pink haired girl couldn't have asked for better roommates. Sure the year had been hell, but many positive things wouldn't have happened if it wasn't. Her lips curled into a smile as Hope wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close and kissing her cheek. After dinner, Noel went off to the NORA house to get settled in and Hope and her went up to the room to take their showers.

"I can't believe Snow and Serah's wedding is only a month and a half away."

Lightning nodded and smiled softly at the statement. "I know. Just like Snow to schedule it so soon."

It was true, about a month ago Snow had once again asked the older pink haired girl if he had her blessing to get married to Serah. Lightning had thought about it for a few days then finally said yes. She figured that Serah was sick, and there was a chance that one day, she could get even sicker. Lightning knew how happy Snow made her sister and she decided that if Serah was happy, then she should be happy too. Of course it wasn't going to be a large wedding. Lightning, Noel, Hope, the NORA members, and well that was about it. None of them really had family, which was another thing that brought them closer.

"What time is your dress appointment with Serah tomorrow?" The silver haired boy asked, pulling off his shirt and discarding it in the hamper.

"Noon. She's dragging us all the way to the rich part of the city to get it."

If there was one thing Lightning hated the most, it was being in a dress. Now not only did she have to wear a dress, but she had to wear a dress while pregnant. It made her grind her teeth just thinking about it. Not to mention she was the maid of honor so all eyes would be on her.

"Well I heard they had nice clothing and things there." Hope laughed softly. "Can't blame her for wanting to go there. Besides, isn't Lebreau going with you two?"

Lightning nodded and began undressing. "You're luckily you don't have to go shopping like this. It's a pain."

"True. I'm glad Snow didn't make Noel and I groomsmen."

That was another thing she was not too happy about. At least if Hope or Noel had been groomsmen, she could have sat with them and been with them most the time. But of course, it being Snow, he had asked the NORA members. Which was understandable on her roommates part, considering they had hated him the whole two years of college and had only started to accept him.

The couple finished getting undressed and got their showers before heading off to bed.

"Serah, can we go now? People are staring at me."

They had been at the bridal shop since noon and it was currently almost six in the evening. Lightning was more than over the shopping. She had her dress and she was ready to go. Not to mention her back and feet were killing her and she couldn't wait to get home to get a massage from Hope.

"We will in a bit sis, I just want to try on a couple more dresses."

Lightning groaned and leaned her head back. This would be at least the fifteenth dress her sister had tried on since they started. She would have called Hope or Noel hours ago but her inner self knew she shouldn't leave her sister, especially since she knew how much it meant to Serah. Instead she decided to take out her phone and call home when the other two girls went into the dressing room.

"Hey hey, How's it going Light?" Noel's voice rang through her ear.

"Horrible." She said with a scowl. "We're still not done yet. Serah's trying on more dresses."

"Damn, I figured you were on your way home."

"I wish. My back is killing me." Her hand went to her lower back and rubbed it gently.

"Dying for one of Hope's massages?" He laughed.

"Of course. I swear he took a class or something."

"Trust me, I know. They're amazing. Hey, do you want me to come get you? You're probably tired and like you said, in pain."

The pink haired girl sighed. "Hold on, let me go ask Serah if it's okay. I don't want to leave her but, I need to get home. I'll call you back in a minute."

She hung up and stood up, groaning slightly at the pain before making her way over to the fitting room. Her hand reached up and knocked a few times before the door creaked open slightly.

"What's up, Light?" Lebreau said as she peeked her head out.

"Ah, is Serah still getting dressed?"

The raven haired woman looked back before returning her eyes to the pink haired girl. "Just finishing up. Wanna talk to her?"

Lightning nodded and waited patiently for her sister's face to pop up in the space between the wall and the door. "What is it, Sis?"

"I know how much you want me here but, Serah, I'm exhausted and my back is killing me. Would you mind if Noel came and took me home?"

"Oh Claire, I didn't know you were feeling like that! You should have told me, we would have left earlier." Lightning squinted her eyes for a minute. "Of course he can come pick you up. I think I'm going to spend the night here anyway, I still want to look around for other things."

She sighed in relief to herself. "Thanks Serah. I'll make it up to you okay?"

"Don't worry about it! Just go home and get some sleep." The younger sister giggled then hugged Lightning as best as she could.

Lightning walked back over to her chair and pulled out her phone. "Hey, you sure you don't mind come getting me?"

"No not at all, it's no problem. Want me to drag Hope along too?"

A small smile appeared on her lips. "Only if he wants to."

"Of course he wants to!" She heard a laugh from him. "Alright we'll be there in a bit."

Lightning hung up the phone and waited in the now getting uncomfortable chair. Her eyes fluttered shut for what seemed like only a minute before she was been shaken. Aquamarine eyes opened quickly and looked up. Noel was laughing softly at her and Hope was smiling next to him.

"Come on, you look like you're more than ready to get home."

The pink haired girl nodded and stood up slowly, letting the two boys help her up. Once they got to the car, she felt tired again, and she rested her head on her partners shoulder, falling asleep for another few minutes.

"Light." A voice whispered in her ear as she heard the car door shut.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the silver haired boy who still was seated next to her. "Let's go inside and get you in the bed."

"Not before you give me a message." She mumbled then sat up.

Hope laughed softly and kissed her cheek before getting out and walking around to the pink haired girls side and helping her out. The two walked slowly into the house and up to the bedroom. On their way, Lightning's eyes spotted blonde hair. Snow was sitting on the couch along with Noel, playing some game that he must have brought over. She didn't pay anymore attention as she was helped up the stairs. It made her feel uncomfortable, knowing she was relying so much on Hope and Noel. She was always one to do things for herself. But she knew that she was exhausted and it wasn't easy getting around.

Lightning sat down on her bed, sighing in relief. "Thanks, Hope."

The boy nodded and smiled as he got on the bed behind her, sitting on his knees and began rubbing her shoulders. Lightning leaned her head forward as he began moving down her back. Hope was surely amazing at giving massages. The pink haired girl could have sworn he had some kind of curing touch because of how wonderful she felt afterwards.

"Did you find a dress?" He asked as he worked his way down to the most painful spot of her lower back.

"Yeah." She said breathily as he began needing. "Though I think it's pointless, considering I'll be even bigger next month so the dress probably won't fit me." A small moan came from her mouth as he hit the spot that was aching to be massaged.

"Well, just hope it fits and then go from there. No sense worrying about it now." He said as he finished and kissed her cheek.

She nodded before leaning back against him. The rest of the night wasn't eventful. Soon after the silver haired boy had finished his massage, Lightning dozed off in his lap and was soon moved down to her spot in the bed.

Before they knew it, it was the day of Serah and Snows wedding. Lightning had never seen her sister so happy before. It made her smile with joy even though she had to admit the event wasn't the most pleasing thing to her. The couple went on their honeymoon a few days afterwards, though they wouldn't tell where they were going.

The summer ended almost as fast as it started. The three friends were back in the dorms and beginning their classes. Though only about a week into them, Lightning went in to labor. It was a gruesome seven hours in the hospital. But sure enough, seven hours and a broken hand later, there was a crying baby in her arms. Much to her surprise, it had quite a lot of baby pink hair. She didn't think babies came out with any hair, but she was obviously proven wrong. The baby boy had beautiful jade eyes, a shade darker than Hope's.

"Ash.." She whispered the baby's name as she pressed her lips against its forehead.

**_Fin_**

* * *

_**A/n:** _**So So so that was it! I hope it pleased you as much as I hope it will. That is final for this story so thanks again to everyone! **

**My next story is a Snorah (SnowxSerah) and the first chapter will be up in about 1-2 weeks. In the mean time there possibly may be a few oneshots in between but i'm not sure yet. **

**Thank you all !**


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